A Thousand Years
by Jenn0509
Summary: Anika was idolized by her little sister Rebekah, loved by her parents and brothers, and married to the love of her life. Everything seemed perfect...until Henrik died. In grief, Anika used magic to give Henrik back his life, but she didn't anticipate being brought back herself. There are things in the 21st century she isn't familiar with, but one thing she does know is Matt.
1. Chapter 1

**I should so not be starting another story, but here I am! I'm trying out the VD Fandom, you guys help? Please review!**

Warning: There is a miscarriage in this first chapter, just warning any one sensitive to that.

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_Spring, 11th Century_

"Anika!" A tall blonde woman yelled, drawing her oldest daughter to a halt, "Before you go back, take this." She pressed a small cloth bag into the younger woman's hands. "And this." She dropped a necklace over the girl's head. "These always brought me health when I was with child."

The girl, Anika, smiled, holding her mother's hand. "Thank you, mother."

"I'm your mother, Anika. You don't need to thank me for me doing my job." She touched the slight swell of her daughter's stomach, "You'll learn that soon enough with this child."

Anika laughed, pressing a kiss to her mother's cheek, "I'm sure. Tell father I was here?"

The smile on her mother's face fell, "Anika, he isn't avoiding you."

Anika pursed her lips, "Yes, he is. Ever since I told everyone I'm pregnant, he's hardly said two words to me. I'm just glad he hasn't forbidden my visits."

"You're right, Anika." A chill went down her spine. Her father smiled, shocking her by pulling her into a tight embrace, "I'm terribly sorry I've been treating you this way. It's just hard for me. With your brothers lazing about our home for so long, I'd forgotten that I'd lose my daughters so soon." He cleared his throat, "It's been especially hard to come to terms with the fact that your husband isn't human."

"He loves me, Father." Anika interrupted.

He gave her a stern glare, "So you say, Anika. If he dares lay a finger on you in anger, you come straight home. His kind are dangerous. I still don't like you living there."

Anika shook her head, "He would never hurt me. We're having a child. I'll be fine."

He nodded, kissing her temple, "Yes, you will. You're like your mother, Anika. You don't let anything keep you down for long. I wish you would teach a few of your brothers that."

"They're boys, Father. You must learn to relax a little." Anika teased, brushing a kiss to his scruffy cheek. She turned away, calling back, "Give Beka my love!"

Her mother responded in kind before wrapping an arm around her husband's. He kissed her hand, "Our Anika has grown up, but she's still a child."

"She's not a child anymore, Mikhael, she's a woman." Esther chided, picking a bowl up. They came upon Two of their sons, Niklaus and Elijah play fighting, "Relax, Mikhael. Niklaus means well." Esther whispered to her husband, but it was no use.

His lip curled and he hissed, "That is precisely my problem."

Blissfully unaware of the conflict between her father and brother, Anika headed back to her home, to her husband. "Mathias?" She called, not seeing him outside waiting like he usually did when she went to visit her family.

"He's not here." Came a female voice. "I thought we could talk. Woman to woman."

"I don't think Mathias would approve." Anika said, edging back the way she had come. Mathias's mother, Kella, hated her, and nothing good ever came from an interaction they had with one another. Kella had hardly been a mother to Mathias and his sister, and was always gone. Anika didn't have any trouble with the other werewolves accepting her into the pack, but Kella wasn't exactly sane.

The other woman snarled, "I don't care what he would and would not approve of." She smiled, "I only wanted to congratulate you on my future grandchild."

Anika stilled, feeling bad for thinking so badly of her mother-in-law, "Oh. Thank you. We're very happy."

"I'm sure you're happy, little witch." Mathias' mother was behind her in an instant, her arms wrapped around to cradle Anika's stomach. Anika took in a sharp breath, "You're cementing your spell even further with this baby, aren't you? He was fighting you so you had to make him love you more."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Anika said, struggling in the woman's grasp.

"Sure you don't. You're a witch. My Mathias would never have married someone like you." Kella snapped.

"He loves me." Anika insisted because despite all odds, Mathias did, no magic involved.

Kella snarled, "Unlikely. I won't let you keep your claws in him." Kella shoved Anika to the ground, sending the girl rolling down an incline, the bag from her mother flying from her hand. She laid amongst the leaves, hearing a fight going on just above her.

She kept her eyes closed until a warm hand touched her cheek, "Ani, are you alright?"

Anika opened her eyes, flinging her arms around her husband's neck, "Mathias!"

He kissed her furiously, putting a hand on her stomach, "The baby?"'

She felt for it's energy and smiled, "Our little one is fine."

Mathias smiled back at her, peppering more kisses upon her. "I was so frightened that she'd hurt you." He sat her back on her feet, watching her closely. "Are you?"

She shook her head, "Not really, although I cut my elbow." He lifted her bleeding wound to his mouth and gave a few gentle licks, staring in her eyes the whole time. "You love doing that." She teased at the expression on his face as he watched the wound heal.

He grinned, "Only to my Triska." He'd always called her Triska because the first time they met, in the moonlight, her pale hair had looked silver.

"I love you." She whispered, kissing him.

He smiled into their kiss, "I'd rather hope so." He picked her up as if she weighed nothing and took her into their little house, readying her for bed in a flurry just so he could curl around her and listen to the heartbeats of his wife and cub.

Anika drifted off blissfully warm, using Mathias as a pillow on their thin pallet, unaware of what would greet her in the morning. "Anika, wake up."

Mathias' voice was urgent, stirring her from her sleep. "What?"

He was looking at his own hand in horror, "You're bleeding." Anika looked at the blood slick and red, shining on his hand in the first rays of early morning light, and then down at the bed. She was bleeding profusely from between her legs, he bedding around her waist was saturated in dark, red blood.

A cramp ached through her abdomen, "No." She choked out.

They both knew what the blood meant. It meant that Anika's fragile human body was losing their baby. Anika was quiet for a long time, staring at the blood in shock.

Mathias held her as the sun rose before becoming worried by her stillness. "I'm taking you to Ayana." He said, jerking her up into his arms.

With his inhuman speed, the trip to the witch's home was quick. "Ayana! We need help!"

Ayana came to the door, her hair mussed by sleep, "What in the spirit's is wrong?" She took one good look at the bloody young witch and ushered them inside, "Get her in here, quickly." As she cleaned Anika up, she mumbled to herself, "I shouldn't have gotten out of bed. I knew today was a bad one. The air has a certain smell to it, doesn't it?"

Mathias' nostrils flared, "Ayana, all I smell is my wife's blood." Ayana winced. "Why isn't she speaking?" He touched her face, "She's so quiet."

"Be sure, young werewolf, she's only in shock. The pain is just as physical as it is a pain of her soul, she needs rest." Ayana wrapped Anika in a spell warmed blanket, brushing a hand through Anika's sweaty hair. "I'm sorry, Child. The babe is gone. Would you like me to get your Mother?"

Anika was too far in shock to respond. On the other hand, Mathias was furious, he held her face in his hands, not noticing that she was staring through him, "I'll make this right, Ani. I'll make her pay."

"Mathias, no. She's your mother." Anika said quietly.

He knelt by her side, "Ani, you fell because she pushed you. She killed our child."

"It might not have been the fall." Ayana warned, "Young werewolf, many women lose children early. There's sometimes no reason. The only ones who can answer your question are the spirits, and they are remaining quiet."

Anika reached out to stroke Mathias' blonde hair, "It wasn't your mother, Mathias, it was my own weakness."

"Never." Mathias spit, "You are strong, Anika. My mother injured you. She's a threat I can't deny any more." He left just before the full moon was to rise, and an hour later, she jolted awake.

She got out of the wraps Ayana had covered her in, "Child, you need rest."

Anika shook her head, ignoring the pain, "No, something's wrong with Mathias."

It was a full moon, and usually, Anika was the only human or witch not safely tucked away. She had an extraordinary ability to keep the wolves subdued. "You're not strong enough to walk among the pack tonight. Rest!" Ayana insisted.

Anika felt very cold, her emotional state playing in her eyes, "Are you going to stop me?" Ayana had no choice but to let her go. Even as weak as the young woman was, with her emotions so wild, she had a much stronger magic than Ayana could safely combat.

Anika followed the pain. A few of the wolves crossed her path, but they could feel her instability and stayed away. Near their home, she saw two bodies. Kella was in human form despite the full moon above, and only because she had been clawed apart.

Mathias was a short distance away. Anika fell to his side. He broached a weak smile, a sort of crazy look on his face. "Triska, I did it. She'll never hurt you again." That was when Anika noticed that he wasn't healing. She whispered his name, tears filling her eyes as she pressed her hand against the gaping wound on his chest.

Mathias took her hand off of him, holding her bloody hand in his, "Don't cry." He looked into her eyes as he struggled for his last breaths, "I love you, Ani, so much."

Her chin quivered, hinting the emotional battle waging in her heart. His body slumped against her and she sobbed out, "I love you too", over his still corpse.

She stayed with him until dawn when she heard cries from the village. Forcing herself to leave him, she walked to the village. Ayana grabbed her before she could enter the village center, "No, Child. I'm sorry about Mathias, but you don't need to see anymore death today. Just turn around. Go tend to Mathias as you should."

Anika stared wide eyed at her, "Who? Ayana, who died?"

"Henrik." Ayana said gently.

"Tell me how to bring him back." Anika demanded, "I won't lose Henrik too."

"There's no way, Child. I've already told your mother the same." Ayana told her.

Anika shook her head, "I'm stronger than my mother. You've always said that. There must be something I can do that she wouldn't be able to."

"There are two paths, Anika. One brings about a plague, the other requires the death of the one casting the spell. I will not teach either to you." Ayana insisted.

Anika placed a hand on Ayana's face, "You don't have to." Ayana cursed, feeling the memories of the spells flow into Anika. She'd forgotten about the girl's telepathic ability. Touch was how Anika saw into minds, and her hold on Ayana was strong. "Thank you." The young woman said distantly, stepping back.

"Anika, don't." Ayana pleaded.

Anika clenched her jaw, "I have to. I can't rewind time, so this is the only thing I can do. Henrik's just a boy. He didn't deserve that."

"Child, you're in pain. Wait a few days, don't be rash. These sort of spells can go terribly wrong." Ayana didn't know what else she could say. The younger witch knew the consequences of either option now.

Anika smiled, "Ayana, I refuse to wait. I lost my child, I lost my child. Spirits be damned, I'm in pain, and this is a way to end it and make something good happen." She took off running, reciting the spell as the wind rushed past her.

Ayana, old as she was, tried to run after her, "Anika! No!" She couldn't stop the girl. By the time she caught up, the girl had already flung herself over the edge of the gorge near her house. Standing on the edge, Ayana looked down sadly at the bloody, broken body with long blonde hair. Already, Anika's magic was filling the surrounding area. Ayana found a small smile of disbelief on her face, "The spell worked. She did it. Blasted girl did it." She said a prayer, "Sleep well, Child. Until we meet again."

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**The next chapter is done, so if you'd like to read, review! It's going to pick up just a few hours after the Pastor blew the house up.**

**-Jenn**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, sorry this chapter was delayed. I didn't really like the chapter I had written, so I decided to rewrite it. I hope you guys like this one!**

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Present Day

Fifteen miles north of Mystic Falls, a girl sat down on her bed to finish working on a college English paper she had started the night before. She was pretty, with long straight blonde hair, a pale complexion and warm brown eyes.

She opened her notebook to add what she thought would be the final touches on her paper. At least until she looked at the words written across the page in her own handwriting. They weren't an essay like they were supposed to be, or even part of one. Written in her messy script was a list of names. Ending with one that triggered something deep in her mind...Henrik.

Her whole body stilled and she had only enough time to gasp in a quick breath before memories flooded into her. First, the confusion nearly overwhelmed her, but it quickly gave way to clarity. She remembered everything.

Standing, she picked up her purse and a few things from around the room before heading down the stairs. She walked through the kitchen, but the woman who had raised her stopped her, "Nicola, where are you going? You're still grounded." Vera Carter put down the apple she was slicing with a scowl.

"We both know you're not my mother, so don't patronize me." The girl said harshly, a slight accent in her voice that hadn't been there before.

"You remember." The older woman stated her hands falling to the counter in front of her.

The girl nodded, packing a bag of food, "Yes, I do. Thank you for taking care of me for all these years. I'm sorry I've been such a pain."

The woman who had claimed for nineteen years to be her mother caught her in a hug, "Don't mention it. Raising you was my pleasure."

"Thank you."

Vera let the girl go, "Be safe, Anika."

A small smile flitted across her youthful face at the sound of her real name. "I'll try."

Vera grabbed her wrist, "No, Anika. You will be safe. I didn't raise you all these years so you could get yourself killed."

"Okay, goodbye, Vera." In just minutes, the girl had walked out of one life and into another.

She wasn't Nicola Carter, the irresponsible community college strapped daughter of a single mother, anymore, she was Anika Mikaelson. She had been raised the daughter of Mikael and of Esther. The memories were stirring around in her head like food in a blender, but she let her body take her to where she needed to be.

The five mile walk took her to where a young teenaged boy was standing on a street corner. His hair was shorter, but she would recognize him anywhere. "Henrik!" She yelled, garnering his attention.

The boy's face lit up and he ran to her, embracing her tightly, "Anika!"

She kissed the top of his head, "Oh, Hen."

He laughed, pulling away, "Ani, I'm not a baby anymore. Don't call me Hen!"

Anika smiled at the argument that seemed so recent, "Sorry, Henrik, but you'll always be Hen to me. Even after a thousand years."

"Why so long?" Henrik asked.

Anika shrugged, "I don't know, little brother. I didn't exactly put a timer on my spell. I just hoped it worked at all." She took in his jacket, plaid shirt and jeans, "Your family, were they nice to you?"

He nodded, looking at the home behind him with longing, "They were."

"We can come back, you know. If you wanted to." Anika offered with a kind smile.

Henrik shook his head, "No, I couldn't impose any longer."

"We weren't imposing, Henrik. They knew what they signed up for. They raised us in exchange for good fortune." She said, pulling his jacket closer around him as the breeze picked up.

"I know." He sighed, "Klaus must be so angry at me. He told me to be quiet and I tripped. I should have been quiet." He touched his chest, remembering the claws that had torn into his flesh, "It hurt."

"I wish I could have spared you from those memories." Anika said honestly.

Henrik laughed, "We're alive, Ani! I'll take those memories for being alive."

"I'm glad." She said.

He put his arm around her waist and they began walking. "How did you do it, Ani? How did you bring us back?"

"Ayana helped me. I begged her to give you your life back." She acknowledged.

Henrik made her stop, "Why don't you look any older?"

The smile fell from her face, "Henrik, it's not important."

"Yes, it is, Anika." He said, setting his jaw.

A smile worked it's way back onto her face as she looked at his face, "You look so much like Finn right now." He furrowed his brow, "Oh, Hen, don't look at me like that." She begged, touching his cheek.

"Tell me the truth!" He whined.

Anika sighed, starting to walk again. "I died right after Klaus brought you home."

"What? How?" He yelled, catching up with her.

"It was the only way I could bring you back, Hen. Alive, my magic wasn't strong enough, but with my death, I would be able to do it. With my death, I could bring both of us back." He looked at her for further explanation, "I jumped off the ridge."

"You killed yourself." He said softly.

"Yes." She admitted.

Henrik's face crumpled, "How could you do that to the family? You know how Father feels...felt about suicide."

Anika nodded, "Yes, I do. Trust me, Henrik. I knew what I was doing. To Father, from then on, it was as if I never existed. Don't fret, Hen. They probably mourned you enough for the both of us."

"I love you, Anika." He said solemnly, a very old expression on his young face.

Anika kissed his forehead, "I love you too, Beansprout. We need to get going."

"Where?"

"Home." She said as they walked past a sign reading 'Mystic Falls- 6 Miles'.

"Mystic Falls? That makes it sound like a happy place." He scoffed.

Anika scowled, "We were happy, Hen. Until that day at least."

"I messed it all up." Henrik moaned.

"We're going to make things right, Hen. You'll see." She said comforting him. As they walked, they approached a house surrounded by firemen. "What happened here?" Anika asked, peering into the setting sun to see the dying fire.

"Think it was some sort of gas leak." A passing fireman said.

"Were there people inside?" Henrik asked, clutching Anika's hand.

The man nodded, "Most of the Council."

Henrik looked up at his sister as if urging her to do something. Anika winced, "There's nothing either of us can do, Hen. We should go." The boy nodded and they began walking.

He suddenly pulled her to a stop, "Ani!"

"What, Hen?" She groused before realizing that he was staring into the distance. "Nik." She whispered, seeing the image of her brother staring back at them. The hallucination made a face, his lips moving, and vanished.

"You saw him too?" Henrik asked, she nodded, and he began running towards where the apparition had been standing.

"Hen, wait!" She yelled, grabbing his arm. "It couldn't have been him."

"You saw him!" Henrik yelled, tears filling his eyes.

Anika sighed, "I know, I did, Hen, but Niklaus is dead. They all are. Henrik, we've been dead for a thousand years. Our family has probably been gone just as long. Maybe it's a side effect of my spell. I don't know, but running into the woods this late is not a good idea. We know what could be living in them."

"Oh, something like Mathias?" Henrik snapped.

Anika stilled, gasping, "He's dead, Henrik." She said darkly, "His own mother killed him the night before you died. I don't want to talk about it."

Henrik appeared appropriately cowed, and took her hand back in his. "I'm sorry."

She didn't say anything. She couldn't. He'd brought her mind to memories she had been trying so hard to ignore. A hand flitting to her flat stomach, she pushed the emotion back. "Let's get something to eat, then we can find someplace to stay until we can get a house."

They walked to a place called Mystic Grill and Henrik laughed, "They weren't very creative when they named things in this place, were they?" Anika rolled her eyes and gave him a squeeze before he bounded off to the restrooms.

She went to the bar, hoping her old soul would counter act her young looks so she could get a drink. "Vodka please." She asked, sitting on one of the stools.

A man sitting next to her peered over at her, "Aren't you a little young to drink?"

Anika glared at him, not letting her surprise at how handsome he was soften the gaze, "I'm older than I look."

"Well good for you. So am I. Now scram, that spot's taken." He snapped, his blue eyes dancing.

"This seat was cold, so if there was someone there, I'm afraid you've been ditched." She retorted, settling in, downing the vodka the bartender had tapped down in front of her.

He scoffed at her, "Well aren't you a bright ray of sunshine. Do you have a name?"

Anika drug her gaze up to him, taking in the chiseled face, "Annie." She said, giving up a half truth. Going by Annie would make her stick out less than Anika would.

"Damon." He said, holding out a hand.

She didn't take it. Henrik had returned, hopping up onto the stool to her left with an almost eerie ease, letting her know that his physical abilities were still as honed. "What do you want to eat, Hen?" She asked him, carding a hand through his hair.

Henrik laughed, "They were vegetarians. I want a hamburger."

Anika nodded and flagged the bartender down, "Could you also get me two burgers? Rare. Thanks."

"Rare, unusual choice for a kid. Don't you think?" Damon commented, looking at the boy. With messy dark brown hair and dark eyes, there was something familiar about him. The girl was equally familiar. It was her hair, the golden blonde color, and the slight accent in her voice.

"My brother can handle it." She commented. "We're stronger than we look."

Henrik pulled on her arm, his near black eyes locked on Damon. "Ani, I'm hungry."

"Henri, I just ordered." She said, looking down at him, "What's up with you?"

"I miss them." He murmured, leaning into her side.

"I do too, Hen. We'll make it though. Together." She assured him, kissing the top of his head.

Damon took in a deep breath. They were both human. He sighed, it had been a long day, and after the cemetery, he was exhausted. "You two aren't from around here."

Anika laughed, "We were, but we've been away for a long time." Anika dug in her bag, "You haven't seen anything with this symbol around town, have you? A tree, maybe?"

Damon stared at the piece of paper in the girl's hand. The symbol was identical to the one on Esther's necklace. "Can't say I have."

The girl sighed, "That's too bad." Their food arrived, and Damon watched as they both ate like they'd been starved. Once done, the girl put money on the counter, and stood, "Ready to go, Hen?" The boy nodded, hopping off his stool. Anika smiled at Damon, "It was lovely to meet you, Damon. We're staying around, perhaps we'll see you again."

"Oh, I think we will." Damon said, putting on a smile.

She nodded, taking Henrik's hand. "Goodnight."

He followed them. They went to the Mystic Falls Motel, 'Annie' tucked the boy in after he took a shower, and went to take her own. She cried in the shower, but calmed herself before she went to sleep on the other twin bed in the room. Once he was certain they were both asleep, Damon headed back to the Boarding House.

"Wakey, wakey!" He called, and in seconds, Stephan was at the top of the stairs.

He glared at his older brother, "Damon, what are you up to? Elena needs rest."

"We've got other things to worry about." Damon growled, "I just met a very interesting set of siblings. They were asking about a symbol we're very familiar with."

Crossing his arms in impatience, Stephen said, "What symbol, Damon?"

"The one on Esther's necklace. She wanted to know if I'd seen one on a tree. I want to find that tree before she does." Damon said, his eyes alight.

"Why would we go looking for a tree?" Stephen asked, pulling a coat on.

"Because, she looked very familiar, and she called the boy Henri." Damon waggled his eyebrows, "Don't we know a set of siblings that had a brother by the name of Henrik?"

"Let's go." Stephen said.

"I'm going with you." Elena had come down the stairs. The Salvatore brothers both stared at her, "What? I'm not human anymore. You guys don't get to leave me behind. Let's find this tree."

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**What do you think? Leave me a review and let me know! The next chapter should be pretty interesting!**

**-Jenn**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks so much for all of the Alerts and Favorites! Can we get some reviews now!? ;P Just teasing! If any of you are curious, in my head, Anika looks like Alona Tal (of Supernatural fame). Just a note.**

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They searched the nearby forested area quickly before coming back together, "You guys find anything?" Damon asked.

The lovebirds shook their heads, but Elena scrunched up her nose, "So you think this girl is related to the Originals, right? It's been a thousand years since they were last here. Trees grow."

Both older vampires stared at her, both wondering why they hadn't thought of that. "So how much taller are we talking?" Damon asked.

Elena shrugged, "I have no clue." Her eyes lit up, "Let's climb the trees!"

Damon scoffed while Stefan gave the new vampire a boost up into the lowest set of tree limbs. Their higher elevation revealed more promising results. Stefan found what they were searching for. The symbol was carved into a tree, fifty feet off the ground.

He knocked on the wood as Elena and Damon made their way to him, "It's hollow here."

Damon grinned, "I think we should see what's inside then."

"No!" The three looked down to see Rebekah standing at the bottom of the tree, "Leave them alone!" They dropped from the tree to land in front of the Original. She was a mess, tears running down her face, her face blotchy. "Why are you here?" She demanded. Her tone was usually frightening, but in such a state, it was laughable.

"Why are you out here?" Damon countered.

"To talk to..." She trailed off.

"Who, Rebekah? Klaus?" Elena asked, putting a hand on Rebekah's shoulder.

"I'm not supposed to say." Rebekah sniffed.

"Why not?" Elena encouraged. Seeing Rebekah crying like that made her anger dissolve away.

"I can't!" Rebekah cried, "We were told never to speak of what happened."

"Screw this." Damon hissed, grabbing the base of the tree and pushing it over.

Rebekah screamed, but Damon ripped the wood behind the symbol off. Rebekah rushed forward, pushing Damon out of the way and taking up a protective stance in front of the felled tree. "Why did you come looking for this?"

"A little birdie was asking around about the symbol. Call it curiosity." Damon quipped.

Rebekah was shaking, but suddenly her eyes were locked on something behind them. Damon watched as the girl from the grill walked forward. She was dressed in her pajamas still, with her leather jacket on her shoulders. "Ani?" Rebekah asked, stunned.

Anika nodded, embracing her sister, "Yes, Beka. I'm here." She laughed, "Not sure how you are. You look good, better than any thousand year old corpse has a right to."

"I could say the same." Rebekah choked out. She'd never imagined she would get to hug her sister again. She hadn't been able to speak her name in a thousand years.

Anika wiped away Rebekah's tears in a move that was so un-Original like, the three observing vampires could hardly believe what they were seeing. "Don't cry, Beka, please. You know I always hated seeing you cry." She pushed Rebekah's hair from her face, "I always feel like such a failure when you cry. I don't think that can ever change." She kissed Rebekah's forehead, "Tell me what happened. What did our mother do?"

"You're her sister?" Damon exclaimed.

Anika nodded, holding out a hand, "I didn't properly introduce myself Anika Thorrson. Rebekah here is my baby sister."

Elena peered at her, "Then the boy Damon saw at the grill, he was..."

"Henrik." Anika said, cupping Rebekah's face in her hands, "He's sleeping, Beka, but he's with me. I brought us back. Mother chose the other path, didn't she?" Rebekah didn't say anything, "Beka, answer me. What did she do to you and the others?" Anika said, her voice laced with a tone not dissimilar to the one Niklaus used when unhappy.

Rebekah took in a ragged breath, "She killed us. Well, father killed us. She did some sort of spell, and gave us wine. We thought it was for good health, but it was laced with Tatia's blood. Once we had all sipped from the cup, father ran us through with his sword." She finally looked up into her older sister's eyes, "When we woke up, we were different. We weren't human anymore."

Anika pulled Rebekah back to her chest, "I know, Beka, and I'm so sorry. I could tell the moment I laid eyes on Damon here that the wolves no longer had complete claim to things not human. I could tell that Damon fleetingly desired my blood. I believe the modern term for what you are is vampire." She grimaced, "I feel like I'm blind to all that's happened, Beka. I can't read your thoughts. I can tell how confused and upset you are right now, but I can't see what happened before right now."

Rebekah gasped, jerking back, "You can't?"

Anika shook her head and shrugged, "Not a huge loss, now I can't pester you about your crushes. That used to make you so mad. Mostly, I did it just to piss you off."

Rebekah almost choked on a laugh, "How can you be so normal?"

Anika shrugged again, "I've been alive for nineteen years in this time, Beka. Until this morning, I was an ignorant teenager. I remember my past now, but I'm up to date on popular culture." She paused, pursing her lips before looking at Damon, Stephan, and Elena, "You don't sparkle in the sun, do you?"

Elena laughed, shaking her head, "No, but without special rings, we burn in sunlight."

"But it's the bloodlust that's your true weakness, isn't it?" Anika inferred, looking at the lines emerging on her sister's face, "You're hungry."

Rebekah jerked away, "I'm sorry!" She covered her face, not wanting her sister to see that side of her, "I was just healing."

"What happened to you that you would need healing?" Anika demanded, glaring at the trio. She took a step towards them, "If one of you harmed her..."

"It wasn't them." Rebekah interjected, "It was Nik. I made him mad, and he snapped my neck. I healed just fine, I'm just a little thirsty right now."

Anika gave a small, sad smile, "Nik's become a terror, I suppose. I suspected he would. What with our father's blood and all." She flung a hand over her mouth, "Forget I said that. Please, Rebekah, I didn't mean to say that."

Rebekah's chin began to tremble, tears filling her eyes once more, "He's our half brother, Ani. Mother had an af..."

"I know, Beka." Anika said, cutting her sister off. "I've known since Mother and Ayana welcomed me into the coven. Witches, we know our own. I'm fully aware that Klaus and I share a father. I know that you and the others are our half siblings, but that never made me love you any less. You're my sister. Who my father is doesn't matter."

"But you weren't a werewolf!" Rebekah protested.

Anika remembered the time her sister was recalling. They had been walking together in the forest when Anika had left the path to relieve herself. Seemingly alone, a man from another village had approached and attempted to rape Rebekah. Anika had come from behind, and in her rage, nearly sliced the man's head clean from his body. The sisters had returned home covered in blood, and after relaying the story, the men had been furious, urging battle on the town the dead man had been from.

Their mother on the other hand had kept a very close eye on Anika the next full moon, a strange herb clutched in her hands. "I know." Anika said with a sigh, "Mother told me once the moon had passed that the father I already knew Klaus and I shared was one of the werewolves. But then again, so does Henrik."

"Henrik?" Rebekah gasped.

The boy joined them, jumping into Rebekah's frozen arms. As a vampire, she didn't stagger under his weight like she had. "Beka!" He chirped, giving a kiss to her cheek.

Rebekah wrapped her arms around him, "Hen."

He grumbled, pushing away from her, "Not you too! I'm like one thousand twenty years old. You can't call me 'Hen' anymore!"

"You said he was alive, but...seeing him..." Rebekah said, staring at her sister.

Henrik glared at Anika, "Is she broken?"

"Overwhelmed, Henrik. Give her a moment." Anika assured.

"You left. I don't want to be alone." He said pouting up at her.

Anika scoffed, "Weren't you just proclaiming to be a thousand twenty years old?"

He huffed, crossing his arms, "Well at the very least, I'm fourteen, not five." Henrik walked up to Stefan, Damon, and Elena and held out his hand, "Hello, I'm Henrik Mikaelson. I'd like to think I'm the only normal one in my family now."

"Didn't you get eaten by werewolves?" Damon asked.

Henrik passed by Damon with a glare, "That's true, but I've got an awesome witch sister who brought me back to life. Can you boast that?"

Stefan laughed, shaking Henrik's hand, "No, he can't. I'm Stefan. And no, Damon doesn't have a witch sister to bring him back from the dead, he's just got me."

Henrik giggled and hugged Elena. "You look like Tatia. Are you like Ani and I are?"

Elena shook her head, hugging the boy back, "No, I'm not Tatia. I'm Elena, her doppleganger."

He shrugged as he pulled away, smiling at her as he went back to his sister's, "That's alright. I like you anyway."

Anika laughed, kissing the top of his head. "Henrik's never met anyone he didn't like."

"That's probably why he got eaten." Damon quipped.

"Actually, I take responsibility for that. It's my fault." Anika said.

Rebekah snapped back, "No, it was Niklaus. He's the one that took Henrik out there."

Anika shook her head, "They'd done it before. I never told father, but they did it all the time. I looked after them. I made sure they never got caught, but that night... I wasn't watching the forest, and Henrik was killed." She looked down at the boy who was looking upset by the heavy conversation. "That's why I brought Henrik back. Grief and guilt are very powerful emotions."

Damon chuckled. "You can say that again."

Anika caught herself looking at Elena, "You really do look just like Tatia." She smiled, "I hope we can be as good of friends as she and I were." She laughed, looking between Damon and Stefan, "At least it won't be _my_ brothers fighting over you." She touched Rebekah's shoulder, "Speaking of brothers, Beka, where are they?"

"I'm not sure where Elijah and Kol are. Nik probably left town after our fight." Rebekah said, pouting slightly.

Anika laughed, "You and Nik still don't get along all the time. Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. Is Elijah still an unbearable stick in the mud?"

Rebekah nodded, "Moral as ever."

"And Kol, still going through women like tissues and leaving scars with that sharp tongue of his?" Anika asked.

"Is there any doubt?" Rebekah replied.

The smile slid from Anika's face, "Where's Finn, Rebekah?"

"Dead." Rebekah admitted painfully.

Anika sighed, "I suppose a whole set of siblings was too much to ask for." And it was, considering she had only anticipated Henrik being alive. Seeing her little sister again was a miracle in itself, especially since Rebekah hadn't gotten the life they'd always imagined for her. Henrik clung to his sisters, trying to take in that his brother was dead.

"So, you knew Tatia?" Elena asked, trying to sooth the situation.

Anika nodded, the smile coming back to her face, "She was my very best friend. Not a witch, but her compassion made up for that. She was the only person who ever met my husband. Well, Father did, but, it was just once to get permission to marry me."

"Who would marry into your crazy family?" Damon asked.

Anika rolled her eyes, "My husband did. Of course at that time, he was the crazy family type. Being a bastard back then was a big deal, but being a werewolf was weirder."

"You were married to a werewolf?" Elena said, trying to imagine how that could work.

She nodded, "Yes, he saved my life once, and we fell in love. It was a fairy tale. With my werewolf parentage, I could walk amongst the pack, and with my magic, I kept them calm. Only in the end, I wasn't calm, and people died. That's my new life resolution." She winced, and went to the hole in the tree, glancing at Rebekah, "Mother did this?"

Rebekah shook her head, "Mother couldn't, Father wouldn't let her. After you...died, we weren't even allowed to speak your name. Ayana made it for you. She said she understood why you did what you did and that you'd been punished enough. You know she cared for you like a daughter. She took it worse than our brothers did. They just seemed to forget, but I never did. I've always come here to talk to you."

"So what is it?" Elena asked.

"A memorial for a lost witch." Anika answered, "It's sort of like a time-capsule. My most valued possessions are in there, as well as magic ingredients to supply me in the afterlife. I was curious if one had even been made for me." She smiled at Damon, "That's why I asked about it in the bar."

"That could have ended better." Damon said, but she ignored him.

Anika sighed, picking something out of the tree. She walked towards Elena, "Tatia drew this for Mathias and I on our first anniversary. I...I had friends, but Tatia, was his only non-werewolf friend. I miss her. I miss him." She put a wooden frame tenderly into Elena's hands, turning away, finding it hard to have his face in her head. Again her hand rested on her stomach as she looked up at the moon.

Elena looked down at the picture in the frame, her newly enhanced eyes taking in the drawing easily despite the dim light. It was obviously Anika, sitting against a tree, wrapped in the arms of the man that must have been her husband. He was looking at Anika like he'd never seen the sun until he'd seen her. It was really beautiful. Tatia had been talented, and a spell must have been used to preserve it because the details were too clear for a thousand year old drawing.

What was most startling about the drawing itself, though, was the man's face. Anika's...Mathias. Elena looked up at Stefan and pushed the frame in his direction, her skin feeling like bugs were crawling all over it. "Look."

Stefan took it from her and stared at the picture. "Is that..."

Elena nodded, her eyes wide, "Matt? Yeah, I think so."

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**How's that? Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?**

**Review!**

**-Jenn**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here you go! Hope you guys like this chapter, and if you do, review!**

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"What?" Anika said, her attention peaked.

Rebekah looked sick, peering at the drawing. Elena scrambled for her phone, swiping on it for a few seconds before passing it to Anika, "This is my friend Matt."

Anika held the phone like it was a baby, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, "That's my Mathias." She frowned, "I'm not even sure how I'm alive." She looked at Elena, "Have you seen him today?"

Elena nodded, "We were at a funeral for the people killed in the fire. He seemed fine." She didn't mention that she'd drank from him.

"I see." Anika said, handing back the phone, "I'd like to meet him, but I don't think he remembers. When Henrik and I woke up today, we both remembered. It was disorienting, you all would have noticed."

Damon gawked at her, "Are you sure you're related to Rebekah? She would have already had Matt pinned to her bed."

Anika laughed, "Very sure. I have a bit more tact than some of my siblings though. Elijah and I always got on well because of that." She glanced sideways at her sister, "I can tell you've kissed him, Beka." Rebekah squeaked, but Anika laughed, "That look on your face, it's the same look you had when I mentioned Edwin to you back then."

"You're not mad?" Rebekah said.

"How could I? For all I know, this guy could just be Mathias' doppleganger. Regardless, he doesn't remember, and you never met Mathias. I see it as blameless. Besides, I won't be selfish and ruin Matt's life. I could never do that. Mathias was all about free will. I'll respect that." She blushed, "Although I can't promise not to flirt. Mathias and I did that all the time."

"Eww." Henrik said from where he had sat down.

Anika took one look at his drooping eyelids and sighed, pulling him to his feet, "We need to get you back to bed. You've got school tomorrow."

He protested weakly, but when Rebekah picked him up, seemingly unhindered by his weight, he shut up, "Ani, you two should stay with me. I just got my own place."

Anika nodded, "You okay with him? I need to go get our stuff."

"How will you..." Rebekah began.

"Don't worry, Beka, I'll find you two." Anika said, twitching her nose.

"You did not just do that." Damon said, staring at her like she'd grown an extra head.

Anika laughed, feeling blissfully light inside for just a few moments and embracing them, "Yeah, I did. What can I say, I'm basically a teenager that woke up this morning as a witch with a whole hell of a lot of baggage. I need all the humor I can get." She watched Rebekah walk away, not going too fast out of fear of harming the boy in her arms, "She's not alright, is she?" Damon shook his head, "None of them are, are they? Beka just doesn't want to worry me. She's forgotten, I've always been able to see right through her." Anika looked at Elena, "I'm sorry for whatever she's done to you. I can tell you're restraining yourself. I might not be able to see vampire pasts, but I sure can sense your emotions. Thank you, for putting aside your anger. You'd make Tatia proud."

Elena smiled slightly, "Goodnight, Anika. It was good to meet you."

"So, you can sense emotions." Damon said after Elena and Stefan had walked away.

Anika nodded, "I always have been able to, just a vague sense. The stronger the emotion, the more easily I can tell what it is. And also, when I make skin to skin contact with someone, I can search through their memories." Damon glared at her, "Relax, apparently your kind are impervious to that skill, or I've lost it entirely. I don't mind either way. The last time I used that particular gift, I died, so not the best thing."

Damon shook his head incredulously, "Your sister's right, you are surprisingly normal, especially given the rest of your family."

"I'm good at keeping things bottled up." Anika let out a ragged breath, flashing a weak smile, "I should get going." She looked to Damon, "Walk with me?"

Damon laughed, "Why not."

"Good, I need to find something for you." Anika said, putting the items remaining in the hollowed tree into a bag that had apparently been inside. She kept one bottle out.

"What's in the bottle?" Damon asked once they'd been walking for a few minutes.

Anika shrugged, "Just a potion, although it needs one ingredient."

Damon scoffed, "Maybe I was wrong about you. You wake up after like a million years and you're worried about a potion you didn't finish?"

Anika shot a glare at him, plucking a leaf from a nearby tree, "It's for you."

"For me?" Damon echoed curiously.

She dropped the leaf into the mixture and shook before handing it to him, "Yes, for you."

Damon looked at the amber liquid in the bottle, "What is it?"

"Don't know, you tell me." She quipped back, smirking.

Sniffing the contents cautiously, Damon stared at Anika, "It smells just like Elena."

Anika giggled at the expression on his face, "I figured it would. Use it, Damon. You obviously love her, but you respect her. If you want to maintain control, use that. Dab a little on your pillow before you go to sleep and you'll wake up feeling a lot better."

"What does this really do?" Damon demanded, "Forgive me if I don't trust your vague explanation."

"No problem." Anika replied, "It's a sort of potion that will let you try a few things out. While you're dreaming, you'll be able to run scenarios about how things with Elena will work out. The end goal is to let you find a scenario that doesn't blow up in your face."

Damon gapped at the bottle, "So you can see into the future with this stuff?"

"Sort of." Anika said with a laugh, "But you can only use this potion once. If you try to use it more, you might not wake up. One night, Damon, and even then what you see might not come true if all of the conditions aren't the same. It gives a general idea."

"Why haven't I heard of this stuff before?" Damon asked.

"Ayana didn't like to share her potions, but she liked me. Mother had her hands full with all of the others, so Ayana made a point to show me things. It's totally safe, as long as you don't try it again. It's how I made the decision to marry Mathias." Anika said softly.

He looked at her, "What did you see?"

She sighed heavily, fishing the hotel key card from her pocket, "Mathias and I, happy, with couple kids, in the woods. I couldn't give that up, but in the end, it didn't happen."

"Well that's a glowing recommendation."

"It is, Damon. It gave me hope, direction. Who knows, maybe I didn't see Mathias at all. Maybe I saw Matt. Thing is, I won't know until it happens." He stared, and Anika smiled, "I get the feeling I'm not as jaded as my siblings. I'm sorry that scares you." It was too much for Damon, so when she blinked, he was gone. "Pleasure to meet you too."

When she woke up the next morning, Henrik was curled up against her left side, Rebekah against her right. "Good morning." Rebekah whispered.

Anika rolled over, almost nose to nose with her little sister, "Good morning to you too. Do you have plans for the day?"

Rebekah smiled, "I was going to throw a party protesting the town's new curfew, but now I'd like to make it a welcome home party too."

"I like that." Anika whispered, "So, do you have a boyfriend?"

Rebekah blushed, "No. Matt and I were supposed to be dates to a few things, but that would just be weird now. Stefan and I were briefly acquainted many decades ago, but he's a different man now."

Anika kissed the tip of Rebekah's nose, "Don't pout, Beka. I get the feeling you haven't been the kindest person. Maybe you should try being nice for a change."

"I don't like being nice." Rebekah groused.

Anika sighed, "Well, just try. I'm going to get Henry into a school today."

"You should too!" Rebekah gushed, loud enough to cause Henrik to stir.

Anika arched an eyebrow, "School? Really? I was in community college before yesterday. I'm not sure how I would even get into a high school."

"Compulsion. It's a vampire thing. Trust me, I can get pretty much everyone in this town to do whatever I want." Rebekah grinned, "Besides, I got into high school, didn't I?"

"That's what worries me." Anika whispered under her breath, shaking Henrik's shoulder, "Hen, wake up. You're going to school."

One eye opened, revealing he was awake, "School? But I thought..."

"Just because you've found your long-lost sisters does not mean you're just going to go galavanting around." Anika said, drawing herself off the obscenely large bed, "Get on with it, Henrik. Your clothes are in the room next door."

The fourteen year old trudged away slowly, and Anika busied herself with digging through her clothes from her Nicola Carter days. Her heart was racing, her face flushed. She couldn't meet Mathias...Matt in any of the ripped up goth outfits of her not so distant past. "Here." Rebekah, already fully dressed, said, holding a stack of clothes out to her, "We always were the same size." Putting on her sister's clothes was strange, but the violet skirt and white button down top fit perfectly. Rebekah smiled, "I think that outfit looks better on you than it does me." Rebekah smoothed the skirt slightly, "Calm down, Ani. I can hear your heart racing, and I haven't had breakfast."

"I'm guessing you aren't a happy, sparkly, vegetarian vampire, are you?" Anika said.

Rebekah shrugged, "Stefan is vegetarian. You already know we don't sparkle."

Anika rolled her eye, letting out a haggard breath, "I still can't believe mother did that to you all. It makes me sick."

Rebekah checked the clock on the wall, "We better grab up Hen or we'll be late."

"Since when are you punctual?" Anika asked, remembering all of the times Rebekah had practically fallen over herself being the last one to supper.

"I've got a party to invite people to!" Rebekah said haughtily, draping an arm over Henrik's shoulders as he emerged from his new room.

They sat things up with Henrik's school easily since the boy had stolen all of his school paperwork before he left. Getting Anika into school proved less easy, and involved Rebekah compelling the registrar to get her into classes. Anika's sister left shortly after, telling the registrar to put her in whatever classes Anika wanted to go in to. She didn't factor in the fact that Anika had pretty much no idea what classes she was even capable of being in...Nicola hadn't been the best student.

After well over an hour of talking, Anika finally had a schedule. The hallways were quiet as she walked down them, searching for room A157. Her skin felt like it was crawling, but she didn't know why until she turned a corner claiming to lead to rooms A150-A165.

A dark skinned man was holding a smaller man up against one of the walls, a hand around the other man's throat, "Thank you. When you wake up, she'll be long gone." Anika heard him say, his arm visibly tensing, his grip undoubtably getting tighter.

"Hey, let him go!" Anika yelled, striding forward.

The man looked back at her as the pinned man said, "Rebekah?"

Just like that, he was released, and Anika caught a look at his face. It was Matt. The urge to run to him nearly overwhelmed her fear of the other man, who was smiling at her, "So you're Rebekah. You're a very hard girl to find in a town so small."

Matt began to protest, the blond girl in the hallway wasn't Rebekah. Sure, she looked like the vampire, but he'd never seen this girl before. She didn't give him a chance to say anything, "So sorry I've been an inconvenience. Why were you looking for me?"

"You're a bloodsucker, a parasite. What do you think I'm looking for you?" He struck out with a knife once she was within an arms reach, but Anika had learned to fight beside her brothers. Her instincts managed to result in the blade only grazing against her neck.

It was his unfortunate luck that he nicked her carotid. Blood spurted from the wound as she fell, her feet slipping on the tile floor, landing on his face and arms. Before he could strike again, Conner noticed that his face was stinging. He wiped his cheek with one hand, seeing her blood on his skin and instant before it started to boil.

Anika grinned, righting herself, a hand clasped over the small gushing wound on her neck, "I'm not a vampire. Leave him alone." Conner ran, for once not sure what he had stumbled upon. Anika knelt next to Matt, who was staring at her, "Are you alright?"

"Who are you?" Matt asked, looking at her blond hair and delicate features.

She held out a hand, "My name's Anika."

Matt looked away from her, spotting blood on his arm, "Your blood didn't burn me."

Anika laughed, "It didn't burn him either, he just thought it did. I'm a witch. It was a trick of the mind, that's all." She peered at him, "Are you alright?"

He nodded, "I'm Matt by the way."

"I know." Anika whispered, helping him up. She stooped to pick up the schedule she'd dropped, and held it out to Matt, "It's my first day, and I'm not sure where my class is."

Matt took the paper, reading her full name, "You're related to Rebekah."

Anika nodded, touching his arm so he would look at her, "I'm Rebekah's older sister. I don't know how much contact you've had with my family, but I'm nothing like most of them." She winced, "Well, as long as you don't count Elijah. I always favored him a little in the behavior aspect of things." She bit her lip, "I'm sorry for whatever they've done."

"You're not a vampire." She nodded, and he held out her schedule. He stared at her as she folded up the paper. Although her hair was blonde, there was little about her that screamed dangerous like Rebekah did. She fidgeted, that alone was almost enough to dissolve all similarities. Unlike the other Mikhaelson's he'd met, Anika seemed very unsure of herself, nibbling on her lower lip and rocking back and forth on her heels as she waited for him to speak. "That's all I needed to know." He said, resisting the urge to swipe his thumb across her lip to release it from her teeth, "I can understand feeling responsible for what your sibling has done."

"I would never hurt you, Matt." She blurted out.

He studied her face, and found himself saying, "I know." Oddly enough, he meant it, he couldn't imagine Anika hurting him. Looking into her brown eyes, something seemed familiar, but the bell rang, snapping him out of it. "We've got English together, let's go."

Walking with him, Anika's heart was aching, but she smiled. He didn't hate her, and that was more than enough for her to start with. Wanting to laugh, Anika stopped him at the classroom door, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Thank you for not judging me, Matt."

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**Yay, she's met Matt, and intervened with some of Conner's dastardly doings. FYI: If I don't write about it, consider events happen as they do in the show.**

**More soon! Review!**

**-Jenn**


	5. Chapter 5

**So you guys are favorite-ing like crazy, but not many reviews... :( Anyway, enjoy this chapter and tonights episode! Review to keep it coming!**

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Matt felt the hand on his shoulder like it was burning into his soul, "N-no problem." He stuttered.

Anika smiled easily, opening the door and going in by herself. Matt followed a few seconds later, after adjusting himself. The teacher made her introduce herself to the class, and once the chatter over her being Rebekah's sister had died down, she sat in the desk next to Matt, sighing wearily. "I hate that. Everyone looking at me."

"Rebekah doesn't seem to mind." Matt commented dryly as said vampire threw the door open.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone. Elena and I were having some girl time." Rebekah said, striding into the room. She saw Anika and grinned, "Oh, you've all met my sister. Isn't she lovely?"

"Beka." Anika said warningly, watching the poor teacher struggle internally with how to handle the blond class disruption.

Rebekah walked over and brushed a kiss to the side of Anika's face, "Relax, Ani. I'm just having some fun!"

Anika shocked Matt by grabbing Rebekah's jacket lapel. "Rebekah, you're being rude. Sit. Down." Rebekah did as she was told, the smile slipping off her face.

The sister's didn't talk throughout the class, and Matt could sense the tensions rising. Once class was over, Anika looked at Matt, "Would you mind showing me to my next class?"

"I can take you." Rebekah offered.

Anika glared at her, "No thank you, Beka. I believe I asked Matt to show me to my next class. I see your manners have only gotten worse after all these years. Please, just go to your class and stop antagonizing people."

Rebekah left, and Matt looked at Anika, "You weren't kidding when you said you were her older sister, were you?"

Anika laughed. "Not at all. With so many children and as the oldest girl, I'm pretty good at putting the others in their places. At least I hope that's still true. I was always better at dealing with Beka than the boys. I think it's because I understand her better." She looked wistfully down the hall Rebekah had stalked down, "Sometimes, it's like nothings changed, but other times, I hardly recognize her."

"I felt the same way about my sister." Matt said, holding a door open for her.

Anika schooled her face, remembering Mathias' sister, Vígdís, "Felt?" She asked gently.

"Yeah, she died a few years ago." He said.

Mathias' sister had died young too. "I'm sorry. I remember how that feels."

"Your little brother died, didn't he?" Matt asked.

Anika nodded, "The night before I killed myself." Matt's eyebrows shot up, and Anika laughed, "I had to die to have enough magic to bring Henrik back. I didn't understand the spell very well, but it did it's purpose. Henrik and I woke up yesterday with all of our memories. I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that my siblings are alive. It's strange."

"I'm not going to lie, you're really normal for a girl that was virtually dead until yesterday." Matt said. "And your siblings, they are definitely not normal."

"I'll take that as a compliment. I always was the most typical. I did what I was told, got married..." She trailed off, cursing herself for bringing it up.

"Married?" Matt echoed, his eyebrows jerking up again.

"What can I say, we vikings married young." Anika said, trying to make it into a joke.

"So what happened to him?" Matt asked.

Anika sighed, "He died."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Matt said, feeling bad for pushing the topic.

"It's okay, really." Anika assured him, "It was a long time ago." They walked awkwardly before Anika asked him about the wound on his wrist.

"Uh...Elena." Matt said, trying to control himself as Anika probed the bite marks.

"You pulled away." Anika commented, tracing her fingers over the wounds. She pulled a container from her battered brown satchel, a slave she'd mixed earlier in the morning, "Put this on your bite wounds, they'll heal faster."

Matt opened the little clay jar and sniffed the creamy substance. It smelled very woodsy, not at all unpleasant. "You know, I have a witch friend, and she doesn't make stuff like this or fake burn people with her blood."

Anika laughed, "There are sort of different types of witches. I'm more hands on. Your friend probably uses verbal spells." Matt nodded, "She needs to be careful, it's a lot easier to go down the wrong path using verbal spells than it is to do things with your hands." She gestured to his wrist, "She could probably heal that for you. I can't, healing's not my thing, but I can make a mean wound paste."

"Bonnie's not doing so well right now. So, thanks for this." He waved the jar in the air.

Anika shrugged, hand posed on the knob of the door matching her class number, "Anytime, Matt, and I'd love to meet your witch friend. Magic is always easier to deal with when you have someone to talk to about it."

"I'm sure Bonnie would like that." Matt said, almost not wanting her to go.

He continued to stare at her, seemingly unaware of the grip he had on her arm, "Matt, we should get to class." Anika prodded softly, touching his hand with her own.

Matt jerked his hand away, "Oh, yeah, sorry." As he walked away, Anika couldn't help but think he hadn't realized he'd been touching her.

Turned out she had math with Rebekah too, and her sister glared up at her when she walked in. Dropping into the seat next to her baby sister, Anika sighed, "Beka, I didn't mean to be so nasty earlier. I'm sorry."

Rebekah would have normally snapped at someone apologizing to her like that, but after losing Nik just a few days earlier and having only just gotten Anika back, she forced a small smile, "You were right. I'm sorry too." Upon hearing the Original vampire apologize, Caroline almost fell out of her chair, deciding that school just wasn't happening today, brushing by the teacher as she left.

Everyone was surprised by how quiet Rebekah was, whispering to Anika throughout class, but they were reassured that she was the same girl when at the end of class, she stood up and called out, "Alright everyone! One more period to go before my party starts! If you don't come, you're a nobody!"

Anika shook her head and left, Rebekah catching up quickly, "That was great, Beka."

Rebekah didn't remember her sister being so stern before, "What?"

"At least you kept your mouth shut until class was over." Anika hissed, "And by the way, I won't be able to make it to your party. Hen's teacher wants to have a meeting with me this afternoon."

Rebekah's upper lip jerked up, "So you won't come to a party that's practically for you?"

Anika tried really hard to curb her temper, "I have responsibilities, Beka. Henrik's the most important thing to me right now. I'm not sure we'll make it for the first part, but I'll bring Hen by when we're done." Rebekah softened, seemingly appeased.

"So I saw you and Matt being all Twilight outside the door. What was up with that?" Rebekah asked, all her anger at Anika melting away when her sister's face flushed.

"Nothing." Anika murmured.

Rebekah slung an arm over her shoulders, "Come on, Ani! He never looked at me like that. Do you think he remembers?"

"No, I don't think so." Anika said, not sure wether she was relieved or upset by the fact. It hurt that he didn't remember her and all they'd had together, but at the same time, he wouldn't remember being murdered by his mother. That was enough.

Rebekah squeezed her shoulders gently, "I'm sorry, Ani."

"Don't be." Anika said honestly, "Maybe this way is going to be better."

"Better? I thought you two were perfect back then." Rebekah said.

"No one's perfect, Beka." Anika said with a sigh, "Mathias and I...when I told everyone I was pregnant, that wasn't actually the first time."

Rebekah stared at her sister, "What?"

Anika looked down at the floor, "That wasn't my first pregnancy. There were others, at least three. We were so excited when I made it past three moons and told everyone, but the night before Henrik died, I lost that baby too." She sighed, her heart feeling heavy, "You get your hopes up each time, and each loss is more terrible than the last. I was devastated, and Mathias blamed his mother. Things weren't perfect."

Rebekah was aghast, "Why didn't you ever say anything to me?"

Anika brushed hair out of Rebekah's eyes, cupping her face, a sad smile on her face, "You were so young then, Beka. Yes, you were my sister, but at that point in time, I was dealing with very adult things. I didn't want to worry you. Or any of the others for that matter. Besides, father would have put all the blame on Mathias and insisted we divorce. I could never have done that."

"I wish you'd told me." Rebekah whispered. "I was angry at you for a long while. Father was worse though. You broke his heart. We all know he loved you best."

"Beka, that's not true." Anika rebuked. Sure, she had been less of a pain than her siblings, but the simple fact that she had married a werewolf would have knocked her down the ranks considerably.

"No, it is, especially after he realized what he and mother had created in us. He only spoke your name once after he ordered us to forget you. He said to us that you must have seen what we would become. He said that 'Anika was the only child to be proud of because she would rather die than become a monster like you all'." Rebekah pushed down her hurt, lowering her voice, "That was so hard to hear. I couldn't understand why you would have let this happen to us."

Anika embraced her sister, "I wouldn't have. If I had known, Beka, I would never have left you all to that. You must believe that."

"I do." Rebekah whispered before pulling away, wiping tears off her face, "Enough of that, I have a party to host. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon!"

Anika watched Rebekah walk out of the building and shook her head, "Some things never change." She was pretty certain her sister was Bi-polar, but loved her anyway. Anika ate lunch alone, something she didn't exactly mind. It gave her a chance to really think about all that had happened. Unfortunately, the more she thought, the more worried she became.

Most students skipped fifth period, so it was just her, Matt, and three boys on academic probation from the football team in the art class. "Are you any good at art?" Anika asked.

He shook his head, "No, not at all."

"Me either. I'm fond of stick figures though." They both laughed, chatting until the teacher turned on a movie. Anika was enraptured by it and Matt couldn't help but stare.

The way the light from the screen flickered across her hair, it almost looked silver. Triska, his mind supplied, but he didn't know where that had come from. He put his head down on his desk and was asleep in seconds.

His dream was bizarre. He was running in a forest, but he wasn't upright, he was on all fours like a dog...or wolf. There was a howl nearby and he turned towards it, acknowledging the owner with his own howl. He knew what it meant too, prey had been found. He felt powerful, his strangely placed limbs propelling him through the underbrush. He skid to a halt beside his friend. The other wolf tipped his head towards a pile of rocks. The prey was hiding there. They formed a circle with the others, bringing it in closer and closer, leaving no chance for the prey to escape.

The prey tried though, and one of his pack mates caught the creature with a clawed paw, sending the prey to the ground. When he saw what their prey was though, he growled out a warning to the others, who looked at him in shock. They backed away though, figuring that his solitary nature was rearing it's ugly head again. It wasn't. And the prey wasn't an animal, by scent, it was a small female human. The female was whimpering, and he understood it. He shouldn't have been able to. The moon was full in the sky, the only sounds that should have meant anything were those of his pack mates.

The female before him had long shimmering hair that seemed to sparkle in the moonlight, and he was mesmerized by it. The stench of blood hit his nose and he realized his pack mate had done more than knock her down. He used a paw to gently roll her onto her back. She was holding onto her stomach, the cloth around her hands staining red. Already, the combination of the cool night, fear, and blood loss was making her delicate body tremble.

He licked her hand, trying to comfort her, but she whined more, jerking as well away as she could. She was terrified of him, but he couldn't let that be the case. He licked her hand again, surprised when a scratch that had adorned the skin disappeared. Whoever the female was, she wasn't wholly human, she had Pack in her. Because only Pack could heal and be healed by such methods. Nudging her hands away from her wound, he licked them sealed, ignoring the scintillating taste of her blood.

At some point during the process, the female lost consciousness. He used that to his advantage though, nosing under her body until he could slide himself underneath her, carrying her back to his home. With great effort, he put her on the pallet he used as a bed while human, and curled up against her.

He could tell the instant she woke up, she scrambled across the bed, leaving the space behind him very cold. It was then he realized it was morning, and he was human...and naked. He grabbed a wool blanket to cover himself, finding his voice still husky from the night before as he said, "I'm sorry." The female didn't respond, but she didn't try to move any farther away, "Are you injured?" He hadn't checked for any other wounds besides the one on her stomach.

"No." She said softly.

"Good." He said, reaching for some breeches. He put them on as quickly as possible.

He felt her hand on his shoulder, warm against his skin, "You're a werewolf."

He dropped his head, resisting the urge to lean back into her touch. "Yes."

"You were the one that saved me. Thank you." The female said, bringing her other hand to his back, tracing the muscles there.

"What's your name, Triska?" He asked, using the nickname he'd settled on in his head for her, the word meaning silver.

"Triska?" She asked with a laugh, "My name is Anika."

Matt jerked awake, his heart pounding. A few feet in front of him, Anika was face first on her desk, sound asleep. He stared at her until the bell rang, bolting from the room, leaving her there.

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**Poor Matt, he's just too easy to mess with! Questions? Comments? Concerns? Let me know in a review!**

**-Jenn**


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright, so some feedback would be really nice!**

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Anika picked Henrik up once school was out, having a nice conversation about him with his teacher. Apparently Henrik was just as impertinent as the rest of her siblings. He'd talked back several times during the day. Of course then Anika had asked to see what they were working on and had had the sad duty of informing the teacher that Henrik wasn't that stupid. The poor kid was bored. "Trust me, give him a challenge and he'll never say a word." Anika assured her.

She'd scolded Henrik throughly on their way back to Rebekah's house. And then promptly clapped a hand over his eyes when they came upon the party. "Parties have changed since our day, Hen. This is not an appropriate one for you." Anika led him up into the house, looking around for Rebekah. She bumped into a girl, "Sorry!"

The dark haired girl she had knocked into smiled, "I'm okay!"

Anika paused, "You wouldn't happen to know where Rebekah is?"

"Yeah, she's upstairs. She wasn't feeling well." She said, "I'm April!"

Anika forced a smile, "Lovely to meet you. I'm Beka's sister, Anika."

Henrik, eyes still covered, waved at the human, "I'm Henrik, their brother!" He then found himself being tugged up the stairs. Anika found Rebekah in the bedroom they'd been in that morning.

"Beka?" Anika said, wiping sweat from her sister's face, "What's happened?"

"I don't know." Rebekah slurred.

Anika grabbed Henrik's arm, forcing him to look her in the eyes, "Stay here." She went outside into the hallway, looking out over the banister. "Alright, everyone. Parties over!" She used the maturity she innately held to glare down the crowd, who stumbled over one another trying to leave.

"Uh, can I stay?" The same girl from before said, holding a trashcan in one hand with her other containing a cup halfway to it.

Anika shrugged, anxious to get back to Rebekah, "Sure."

"Ani!" Henrik cried. She rushed back into the room, stunned by what she found. Henrik was alone on the bed, holding onto his left wrist, sobbing, "She said she was thirsty. I was just trying to help! I didn't know it would scare her!"

Rebekah was against the far wall, shaking furiously. "Beka, it's alright." Anika said softly, judging from the blood on her sister's mouth what happened. "You didn't hurt him."

"I bit my baby brother!" Rebekah sobbed out.

Anika knelt next to her, pulling her sister into her arms, "It's okay."

Rebekah shook her head, "No, it's not! I could have killed him!"

"Hush, Beka. You didn't. Henrik will be just fine." Rebekah continued to sob, "Beka, you need to be quiet. Your friend April is still here, cleaning up." She looked up at their brother, "Hen, close the door, and then go into the bathroom, clean yourself up." He did as he was told, and Anika hauled Rebekah to her feet. "A little help, Beka." Anika pleaded, trying to get her sister back to the bed. Rebekah didn't give her any help though, resting all of her weight on her only slightly taller sister.

After a short time, Anika practically tossed her catatonic sister onto the bed before cocooning her in the high dollar blankets. Rebekah stared up at her with glassy eyes. Henrik walked back into the room, no longer holding onto his wrist, "It's all gone now." He said softly, holding up his wrist. All that remained were two tiny pinpricks where Rebekah's elongated canines had scored his skin.

"I'm so sorry." Rebekah repeated.

"Beka, enough." Anika snapped. "Hen and I are going out. Pull yourself together."

Rebekah nodded numbly and Henrik gave her a quick squeeze before bounding after his older sister. "Did I do something bad?" He asked, trying to figure out where he fit in in this strange new world.

"No, Hen. You were being a good brother, but I think it's been a long time since Beka's had such a good brother." She studied him. His dark eyes hid his fear well, but his tense jaw gave him away. "Would you like to go hunting?" She asked, grabbing her satchel.

"Really?" Henrik exclaimed, excited by the thought of doing something normal.

"Sure, we'll have to get bows first though." Anika cautioned, grabbing a wad of cash from the vase Rebekah had stashed it in. Henrik eyed her, obviously wondering when she had found the money, "Hush, Hen. Beka doesn't need to know. She's got over a thousand years of investments. She won't miss a few hundred borrowed from her dear brother and sister for some good old fashioned fun."

Henrik grinned, but then looked questioningly at her, "Why don't we just make our own like we did back then?"

Anika bopped the teenager on the nose with a finger, "Because, Hen, we don't have six months for the wood to season. Unless you want to wait that long..."

"No!" He said excitedly, "Let's go!" This time it was him pulling her out the door.

She struggled to keep up with him. Due to his dominant werewolf gene, Henrik was above average in strength and stamina. While still human, his gene not yet triggered into activeness, he would not be considered unnatural by any means, but he would be considered a great athletic talent. Anika was unlike him in that aspect. Her magic almost completely overwhelmed the physical benefits she would have received from her faceless werewolf father, the only outward visage of her parenting being her body's ability to utilize werewolf healing techniques. "Hen, slow down!" She finally begged, her legs starting to ache, "I won't be any fun to hunt with if you wear me out now!"

He'd calmed himself, but only just, his grip still tight on her wrist in his excitement. Anika hadn't expected this, that Henrik would feel 'lost', but it was obvious he did. It was her fault for not realizing that would be an issue, he was just a child after all. Another failure on her part.

They entered the sporting goods store and the owner was instantly upon them, "What can I help you with?" He said politely, but it was plain that he was uncomfortable with his young patrons.

"Do you have any wooden hunting bows?" Anika asked, her eyes meandering amongst the weapons lining the walls.

"Of course I do, but what's a little thing like you going to do with one?" He said, growing increasingly more uncomfortable.

"I'm taking my brother hunting, but our own tools are long gone." She said honestly. The shop owner led them to a case of unstrung bows. Anika appraised them, looking for a style that seemed familiar. "Can I get a feel of that one?" She asked, pointing to a short recurve bow.

Grumbling, the man opened the case and handed it to her. "I can string it for you if you want to try it out." He offered halfheartedly.

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd rather do it on my own." She said, and he handed her both bow and string. Anika strung it easily, the old motions coming back to her. She tested the weight and draw before passing it to Henrik, "What do you think, Hen? It's not like my old one, but it's not terrible."

The fourteen year old put the bow through the same tests his sister had before nodding, "It's too light for me, but you shouldn't have any trouble with it."

The owner gawked at them, "You two really do know what you're talking about, don't you?"

Anika nodded, "Our father taught us everything he knew, and he was the best archer in our whole town." It almost hurt to talk about her father, knowing that he was long dead.

Henrik plucked another bow out of the case and tested it for himself, "Ani, I like this one!" The older man gave the boy an appropriate string and watched in awe as the boy strung his bow with just as much ease as his sister had.

"I think we'll take them sir." Anika said, also selecting a quiver of arrows, holding the lot in her hands.

"Wouldn't you like a quiver for those?" He asked her, gesturing to the handful of arrows.

Anika shook her head, setting them down so he could count them and rummaging through her bag. It was there, just as she'd hoped. "I've got my own, thank you."

It was made from deer skin, and her name was spelled down the front in the old script. It had been a gift from her parents when she had married Mathias. Her mother had stitched the letters in secrecy by candle light. It had been a grand surprise that had warmed her heart. Her father's hope that she would use the arrows housed in the quiver to kill her husband had not been lost on her, and the memory made her smile.

"Let's go." She said to Henrik.

They spent the time until dark fell reacquainting their muscles with the strength needed to yield a death shot. Neither of them felt like having to deal a kill by hand. They were capable, but that had always been something one of the older boys would take care of. That had never worked when their father was around though.

He'd insist that Anika take care of putting the animal out of the misery she had caused it. He always made her feel bad when he said it like that. Mikhael had been hard on her though. She'd gotten to be a little more athletic than Rebekah was, but that was simply because she'd hidden amongst brush while he taught Niklaus and Kol how to hunt. By the time he caught her, she was already far better than Kol and almost as good as Niklaus. He couldn't deny her initiative and made her a deal. He would teach her how to use a bow if she still kept up lessons on more womanly aspirations with her mother. Anika had jumped at the chance.

Mikhael had been a hard man to please, but as a young girl, nothing had made her happier than to see that smile flash across his face when she pleased him. She'd never see that smile again. Suddenly, she knew exactly how Henrik was feeling. "Are you angry with me?" She asked him.

Henrik paused mid draw, peering at her, "Why would I be angry at you?"

"Was I selfish in giving you back life just to spare myself pain?" She said, sitting on a boulder.

Henrik sighed, "Ani, I love you and everything, but you're being daft. I'm alive! And I'm not alone. How could I ask for anything more? Your motive might seem selfish, but Ani, you killed yourself for me. You ended your life so I could have another chance. I'll never dislike you for that."

He fooled her sometimes, he'd fooled them all. At fourteen, Henrik was hardly the child he acted like, but he did it for their benefit. He had back then to. He had known that they couldn't handle the idea that their precious baby brother wasn't a baby anymore, so he let the believe that he was every bit the child they imagined him to be. It was moments like this, when he was terribly insightful that he truly resembled his age.

Anika hugged him tightly, "Thank you, Henrik."

True to his nature, Henrik grumbled about her squeezing on him until she finally released him. Henrik managed to fell a street sign and a squirrel before Anika insisted they get back to Rebekah's and get some sleep.

After making sure both her younger siblings were seen after, Anika lowered herself into the bed of the room she'd claimed. Closing her eyes, she dreamed of Mathias:

"You know your stance is off." He commented a distance off.

"Nonsense." She retorted, "It's perfect."

Mathias put down the sword he was sharpening and strode toward her, his powerful body an intimidating thing. He stood inches behind her, pulling her right elbow back, "That's better." He whispered in her ear.

She shivered, leaning into him, the tip of the sword she was holding dropping to drag along the ground. "Won't you come meet my family?"

Mathias sighed, stepping away from her, "Anika, I can't. We've had this discussion before."

"Well I was hoping the answer would change." She said drolly, hefting the sword back up and putting it in it's place.

"It won't. Never mind the fact that I'm not human, I'm a bastard, Anika." He tried to glare at her, but her glare was sterner.

"I don't care about that." Anika snapped, hands on her hips.

He pressed a kiss to the wrinkles pressed into her forehead. "Triska, don't frown so."

"I have every right to frown. I love you and you're making me keep you hidden like some dirty secret." She almost stomped her foot. Almost.

Mathias put a hand in her hair, trying to calm her, "I am a dirty secret, Anika. I'm a beast."

She shook her head, seeing through him, "No, you're a good man."

A few days later, she had met him with a friend. "Mathias, this is Tatia." He had stared at them both and then looked down at the small figure seemingly attached to Tatia's ankle, "Oh, and that's Tatia's son Ambi." Anika filled in.

Tatia held out a hand, "Don't be cross with Ani. She just wanted us to meet. Keeping you a secret from me has been very hard on her." He took her hand politely, but didn't say anything, "She didn't tell me you were so quiet, although she didn't quite do your features justice." Tatia looked at Anika, "He's very handsome."

"I told you that." Anika groused, picking Ambi up off the ground. She stepped towards Mathias and thrust the toddler into his arms, "You said the others wouldn't let you around their kids. Trust me, Ambi won't bite."

"Of course my Ambi won't bite!" Tatia exclaimed, sitting down, "He hardly has teeth!"

Mathias had stared at the drooling little being until Anika had come up to him and put her head on his shoulder, "That's what your really afraid of, isn't it? You're afraid of things moving past what they are because that might lead to..." She gestured awkwardly at Ambi.

It was no secret to her that Mathias hated that he didn't know who his father was and that his mother was so terrible. He couldn't answer, not when Ambi slapped a wet hand on his cheek and gurgled happily. Mathias awkwardly started trying to interact with the little boy, and Anika went to sit next to Tatia.

The brown haired girl had leaned against her as they watched him, "What made you decide to push things?"

Anika pulled her knees up to her chest, "Mother started asking me if there was a boy I fancied. Apparently I'm older than my parents thought I'd be when I got married. We both know that if they wanted, they could push me into a marriage. I love Mathias."

"He loves you too." Tatia told her friend. "It's in the way he looks at you."

Anika woke up, wondering why she had dreamed that. It did make sense though, only a few months after she introduced Mathias and Tatia, Mathias had written her father to ask permission to court her.

They'd been married a year later. And now, a thousand years after, they were hardly more than strangers.

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**Hope you liked it. Leave me a review!**

**Next chapter will more than likely bring Niklaus into play, but I need some feedback!**

**-Jenn**


	7. Chapter 7

**Many thanks to ****MusicLuver246**** and ****RainySmithCullenSalvatore**** X for reviewing! You guys are great! As for the rest of you... Come on!**

**Anyway, Klaus is in this chappie quite a bit, so enjoy!**

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He had seen them again. The apparitions of his dead siblings. They were driving him insane, and yet he wondered why Finn wasn't with them. Did that mean that when vampires died, there was no where for them to go? He'd never given it much thought, but now, having seen the ghosts of Anika and Henrik laughing in the forest, he had to think about it.

Would it be like it was for Anika and Henrik? They'd been hunting, and had seemed so happy. The first time, they had just been standing there, but that was in broad daylight. Maybe the humans were wrong to think that all of the things that went bump were restricted only to coming out at night. Maybe that was when Anika and Henrik were free to enjoy their afterlives. Or maybe he was just hallucinating.

But she'd looked the same, his effervescent sister Anika, so much harsher on the edges than Rebekah ever was. Henrik had been whole, his chest no longer marred by the gashes that had cost him his life. They'd had modern clothing, but that could have just been his mind playing trick on him. Whatever they were, he couldn't let them cloud his judgment. They were long dead. He'd had a hand in burying them both.

He had other things to deal with, and Stefan was going to help him.

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"It's just you and me in this, Stefan. Some secrets are stronger than family." Niklaus said, looking at his desiccated sister.

A female voice snapped through the foyer of the Salvatore Boarding House, "Niklaus, un-dagger her right now."

"Anika?" Niklaus said, staring at her.

Just like he remembered, Anika was beautiful when she was angry, "Yes, now you take that dagger out of our poor little sister." She was shaking she was so mad, "Niklaus, I never would have taken you for cruel. Kol, undoubtably, but you? I've never been so disappointed in my life. Un-dagger her or I will. And when I take it out, I'll shove it in your heart. And believe me, I will find a way to make it stick."

"You couldn't do that." He said, "You're dead."

"Not anymore, Nik. I think you should be well aware that not everything stays dead." She flexed the fingers of her right hand, for the first time since she'd returned to life, pulling true magic into her body. This wasn't a trick of the mind like her attack on the Hunter had been. This was the real deal, and if she had to, she would shock the frozen expression right off of Niklaus' face, "You have ten seconds." She said in warning, he didn't move. "Nine...eight...seven...six...five...four..."

Niklaus got a good look at the sparks lancing across his sister's fingers. "Alright!" He yanked the dagger out of Rebekah, tossing it away.

"Thank you." Anika said, walking forward, the sparks fleeing from her hand. She sat next to Rebekah as she stirred, "Beka, there you are, sweet heart. You worried me being gone so long. You didn't tell me you were coming to see Nik. I'm sorry we've got such a frightful older brother." She wiped tears off Rebekah's face, glaring viciously up at Niklaus, "It's alright, Beka, Ani's here now. I'll protect you."

"You shouldn't have come here." Rebekah sniffed, but Anika just smiled at her.

"You were in trouble. I shouldn't be anywhere but here." Anika said, straightening Rebekah's punctured shirt as best she could.

"How are you here?" Niklaus asked.

Anika's eyes snapped to him, "I wasn't talking to you, Niklaus. It seems Rebekah's not the only one who's manners have degraded. Magic, Nik. How else does anything wonky happen?" She looked past him at the door, "Hen, I told you not to follow me."

Niklaus turned around just as Henrik threw himself at him, "You hurt Beka!" He started clawing and punching at his hybrid brother.

Nik grabbed the back of Henrik's shirt and turned to look back at Anika, "Will you get him to stop?"

Anika shrugged, standing. "Why? I'm fairly certain he's the only one of us you wouldn't hurt. Might as well let someone try to put you in your place." Niklaus and Stefan both gawked at her. Anika let the child's assault continue for a while longer before stopping him, "Hen, come on. You're only tiring yourself out. I think Beka could use a cuddle right now."

Henrik glowered, but did as he was told, curling up next to a dazed Rebekah. "It's alright, Beka. I won't let him hurt you again."

Anika surprised both of the men by embracing Niklaus. "It's good to see you, brother." He put his arms around her after a few seconds, breathing in her scent and marveling at the solidity of her body. She was real. Anika was alive. She squeezed him slightly, whispering into his ear, "That night wasn't your fault, Nik. It was mine. That's not your guilt. And if that is the reason for your unseemly behavior, then put it all out of your head right now."

"A lot's happened in a thousand year, sister." Niklaus said, stepping away.

Anika laughed, "Don't you think I know that, Nik? You've changed, Beka's changed, and I don't know what to do about it. Do you know how horrified I was when I learned what mother had done to you all. There's a cure, and you aren't jumping to get it. What happened to my Nik?"

"He died. Mikhael killed me. He killed all of us!" He yelled at her.

To her credit, Anika didn't even flinch. "Deal with it Niklaus. Henrik and I both died too, but you don't see us going around making life miserable for everyone else." Klaus stepped towards her and Rebekah stood to lunge at him. Anika held a hand out, "Beka, sit. I will have no more fighting between the two of you. Gods help me, you try to harm each other again, and I'll curse you both."

"You wouldn't." Niklaus growled.

Anika glared at him, and Stefan found the family resemblance startling. "Yes, I would. Ayana was a much better teacher, and I a much better student than Mother was. Don't test me." She grinned, "Besides, Nik. You and I, share a father." She pointed to Henrik, "So does Henrik."

Niklaus stared at her, "We have the same father?"

Anika laughed, "Not as special as you thought you were, are you? Our mysterious father's DNA is suppressed by my magic, but I can still command some of it's power."

"What do you mean?" Niklaus asked.

"You're little friends outside. They were not very nice to me at first, but then I started talking. They like my voice. They're fighting each other to death for my hand." She shrugged lazily, "I figure if it works in one millennium, why can't it work in another? And once I realized they would do anything I said, all I had to do was ask."

Niklaus laughed, "I'm surprised at you, Anika."

"You shouldn't be. I will not let anyone else get hurt here. I was tired of it then, and I'm tired of it now. Beka, Hen and I will take our leave. I think we've had more than enough fun for tonight." Anika took Rebekah's hand and motioned to Henrik.

"Goodbye, Anika." Niklaus whispered.

She looked back at him over her shoulder, "Make no mistake, brother, I'll be by your place tomorrow, and you'd better still be there. You won't be the only Mikaelson on that plane. Beka and I will come with you. Understood?"

"Bossy as ever, Ani." Niklaus grumbled before nodding, "I'll be there, but I'm leaving at dawn."

Anika grinned, "I'm very good at getting places before dawn. We'll see you then."

Stefan walked out with them to allow Klaus time to get out of his house, "Did you really tell all the Hybrids to fight to the death?" He asked Anika.

Anika scoffed, "It's not the middle ages, Stefan. I told them all to go home." She rolled her eyes at Stefan, "We may share a paternal sperm donor, but I am not crazy. Hopefully those boys I sent away get home and Niklaus doesn't realize they're still alive. I'm sure their families miss them."

"You learned this deception game really fast." Stefan commented.

She laughed, "Sweetie, I invented deception. How else do you think I hid the fact from my Viking parents that I had a werewolf boyfriend I ran around with on full moons?"

"You did what?" Rebekah said, aghast.

Anika grinned, looking a bit like Klaus as she did so, "Yeah, all those full moons I said I was keeping Ayana company...not really what happened." Rebekah just gawked at her older sister. Anika couldn't wipe away the smile, "Stefan, do me a favor."

"Sure." He said, eyeing her wearily.

"Don't get caught up in Niklaus' mess alone. Trust someone with everything he tells you. Niklaus was always less than trustworthy when it came to people outside our family." She looked over at Rebekah, "Although it appears not even family is safe these days." She shook her head, "Anyway, what I'm saying is you need to be cautious with him."

Stefan shrugged, "I am."

Anika hissed slightly, searching for the right words, "You can't trust him. Even when we were children, Niklaus was erratic. He was kind back then, but from what I've seen tonight, that kindness is gone or buried so deeply even he can't feel it anymore. He is very dangerous like this."

"Are you going to try to kill Nik?" Rebekah asked softly.

"Absolutely not!" Anika yelled, alarmed by even the thought. "Why would you say that?"

"Mother did." Rebekah mumbled, "She came back from the dead and tried to kill us all. That's why Finn's dead."

Anika wanted to embrace her baby sister again, but Henrik beat her to it, fire in his eyes, "Ani, how could mother do that? She's the one who made them what they are. How could she try to kill them for something she did?"

"Guilt." Anika answered after several minutes. "Guilt and pride. Mother's pride always held her back. Ayana said Mother feared failure too much to really thrive as a witch." She looked to Stefan, "Would you mind terribly taking our Hen to school tomorrow morning?"

Stefan looked down at the boy, "Sure, no problem."

Anika laughed, "Thank you, Stefan, but for heavens sake, don't let him kill anyone. The last thing we all need is a juvenile werewolf. They are terrors."

Henrik looked perturbed by her declaration, and Stefan looked a little closer at him. The wiry boy could be a killer. He was undoubtably far more dangerous than the average fourteen year old, having been raised in the Viking times. Henrik looked back at him with eyes that saw far more than most would think. A familiar smirk spread across the boy's face, "Don't worry, Ani. I won't kill anyone. It's just school. Remember, I was always the good one."

Rebekah snorted, "You just never got caught. We always took the blame."

He laughed, "I can't help that you all adored me. I'm cute."

Anika playfully shoved at his head, "Careful, Hen, you're getting a little pigheaded."

Henrik scrunched his nose, "Stop that, Ani, I'm trying to channel Nik." He let out an exasperated sigh, "It's just too hard. I can't keep up the pratishness for that long. Makes my head hurt."

Stefan couldn't help but smile at them. The three were acting like any other set of siblings, and he envied it. Henrik smiled at him, "I'll see you in the morning, Stefan." Stefan nodded, and went back home.

* * *

Klaus hung up his cell phone and looked over at his two sisters, "Well, it seems there's a slight bit of trouble back home."

Anika looked at him warily, "What is it, Nik?"

He continued in a blasé tone, "It seems the Hunter escaped and has taken some hostages at the Grill."

"Who?" Anika asked, standing.

Niklaus winced as he spoke, "Elena's brother Jeremy, some bint named April, and Matt."

Anika's heart jumped into her throat, "Matt?"

Klaus eyed her curiously, hearing her heart take off like a hummingbird, "Yes, Matt. What's he to you, Ani?"

"He's the reincarnation of my husband Mathias." She answered truthfully, not wanting there to be more deception between the two of them, "What's going on?"

"Stefan is taking care of it. I've loaned him some of my hybrids." Klaus said, studying his sister, "We're almost done here, if you want to go ahead and go back."

Although the words sounded kind, Anika knew he was baiting her, "And leave you here alone with Beka while you unbury a man she loved? I would never do that." She stayed, pushed back her racing thoughts and held Rebekah as she cried when they unearthed the fleshless body. She knew that it was her prescence alone that kept Klaus from setting the bones on fire after wrenching the sword from the Hunter's long dead grasp. He had thought about it, a lighter in his hands, but one stern look and he had pocketed the incendiary device, instructing his Hybrids to rebury the skeleton. "Thank you." Anika said to him as he walked past her.

Rebekah had already left to stand vigil as her beloved was reburied. "Don't thank me yet, sister." He handed her a folded cloth, "I want you to see what you can do with this."

She unwrapped the fabric square, gasping slightly, "What exactly do you expect me to do with a finger bone?"

Klaus shrugged, "You're the witch. It's just, I remembered that the older a witch is, the stronger the magic. Usually though, that means the witch is old. You are still very much a young woman, but I would take the gander that your magic is a thousand years old. If you could bring you and Henrik back then, just think of what you could do now."

"You want me to bring Beka's Alex back?" She asked steadily.

Klaus grinned, "There you are, Anika. You always were quick. The Five may still be around, but I doubt any of them know as much as the originals did. I don't like not knowing all of the rules when I play games."

Anika smirked, "So that's why you're still single? You haven't learned all there is to know about women? So sad."

He glared at her, "I'm well versed in how women work, Anika. Which is why I know you'll do as I've asked." He gestured to their sobbing sister, "You can't resist the chance to use some new magic to bring back your baby sister's beloved Hunter."

Anika nodded, "You're right, on one condition. If I do manage to bring him back, you must not kill him. Or order anyone else to." It took him a few minutes to scrounge up the words, which he nearly choked on, but he agreed.

* * *

**Aww, Klaus had to make a promise! And what has Anika gotten herself into? Necromancy... not a stellar way to win Matt over! Let me know what you guys think!**

**Pleasant Klaus dreams to all!**

**-Jenn**


	8. Chapter 8

Terribly sorry for the delay! The holidays and helping my mother recuperate from surgery took up a bunch of my writing time!

Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

Anika had put the dead Hunter's bone in one of the many satchels she had in her bag before returning to Rebekah's side. Nik had left as soon as the sword was in his possession, leaving Anika and Henrik to pick up the pieces of their sister. Two days later, when Anika finally got Rebekah steady enough to do so, she asked Niklaus to send a plane to take them home. He'd been reluctant, but after several threats, he got one ready for them.

Anika wasn't aware until they returned to Mystic Falls just why Niklaus wanted to keep her away. When Matt had been taken hostage by the hunter, Elena had killed the man. Anika was furious, "Niklaus, why did you not tell me the situation had escalated so?"

He shrugged, taking a swig of some very strong alcohol. "Didn't see it as important."

She snatched the glass from him and threw it to the ground, "Not important? Elena's never killed anyone before! Really, Nik, do you think anything that doesn't have to do directly with you is important? You are such a bloody pig! I could beat you right now."

He was in her face in an instant. "Anika, while I'm very glad you're alive, you are aware that I am not opposed to killing my siblings. I'd watch my tone if I were you." He looked down at the puddle of alcohol and sighed, kicking at a piece of glass, "That was very expensive scotch you just wasted."

"I can't possibly find it in myself to feel bad about that. Sorry." Anika snapped back. "Try not to cause anymore trouble while I'm gone."

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I need to talk to Matt." She explained.

"Anika, what you need to be doing is figuring out how to resurrect Rebekah's boney boyfriend." Niklaus scolded.

"That can wait."

"No, it can't, Anika. Have you have so soon forgotten? Elena went and killed the Hunter I had. Sure, little Gilbert is his replacement, but I don't think any of them would like me taking him around the world to kill vampires just so he can grow more tattoo." He explained dryly.

Anika laughed a little, "I wasn't aware you cared about what others felt towards you." He glared at her, "Regardless, Nik, I'm going to go see Matt. I'll work on the 'boney boyfriend' when I get back."

She left, and as he poured himself another glass of scotch, he huffed, mocking his sister, "I don't care."

Matt was cleaning the bar at the end of his shift when she walked in. "Anika!" He said in surprise, he hadn't seen her around much since those first few days of school.

Anika smiled, "Hey, Matt." She looked him over briefly, "Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah." He replied, putting his rag over his shoulder, "Why'd you ask that?"

"Nik told me about what happened here." She looked around, "Well, I see he's still tidy."

"Yeah, you can hardly tell that a bomb went off. So you just came by to see if I was alive?" He asked, studying her as she shifted nervously from foot to foot.

Anika nodded, "I did. I'd have come by sooner, but I was taking care of Beka. She's been having a miserable time, and Nik is not doing anything to help the situation." She looked up at Matt, her eyes twinkling, "Might you part with a glass of vodka to help soothe my weary soul, Mr. Bartender?"

Matt laughed, "You're a little young, no?"

She rolled her eyes playfully, "True, but you could join me. Closing time's near, right?"

Matt surveyed the Grill, finding it empty, the last straggling patron having left while he had been talking to Anika. "Why not?" He locked the door and turned out the front set of lights before returning to the bar, "So you drink vodka?"

"Yeah, it's most like the stuff we drank in ye olden days. Nik favors scotch now, but I just don't like the taste." Anika explained, taking the shot glass from Matt, and letting the liquid burn down her throat.

He poured her another shot and pried the top off a beer before sitting down next to her. "Was he always so..."

"Maniacally evil?" Anika offered, knocking back her drink.

Matt shrugged, "Well...yeah."

Anika sighed, trying to figure out what to say, "To some degree, yes, he has always been a little nasty. Before it was always directly connected to how nasty our father was to him on a give day. If they were apart for long enough, Nik could be almost...sweet. There were some days Rebekah had more temper than he did."

Matt snorted, taking a long swig from his longneck before pouring her a third shot. "Really? And where do you fit in on the Mikhaelson scale of meanness?"

"I can't say I don't." She said with a grin, taking the third shot in stride. "That would be a lie, but Elijah and I were always the more well behaved of our mother's children."

"So you two just didn't get caught." Matt inferred with a sly smile. Anika laughed heartily, reaching over the counter to snag the bottle of vodka. She poured herself a double, but Matt out his hand over her glass before she could raise it, "Shouldn't you slow down?" He said cautiously, looking at her warily.

Anika glared at him, "I'm pretty sure the stuff I drank back then could melt the paint off of cars, this really isn't that strong. I could sometimes out drink Tatia."

"Tatia? Isn't she the original Elena or something? Elena's a lightweight, I can't imagine it being difficult to out drink her." Matt said, but released her glass.

Anika winked, taking the double shot like it was water. "That's what all the boys thought, but Tatia was certainly not a lightweight. How else do you think she stayed single?" He looked at her questioningly, "She never slept with a man sober enough to remember it the next morning!" Anika chortled like it was the punchline of a fantastic joke.

"Fantastic." He said dryly, looking at her. "Are you alright?"

The smile fell from Anika's face and when she looked up at him, she looked like a small child. "Not really."

Her chin started to tremble, and Matt reached out to her, "Hey, don't cry." He pulled her to him, rubbing a broad hand across her back, "What's wrong?" He asked as her body began to shiver.

"I'm so alone." She whispered.

Matt sighed, "That's not true. You have your brothers and sister. I know they aren't the world's greatest, but I've seen how loyal you all are to each other."

Anika burst into tears, "That's not what I mean! I've got all these things I can't tell Rebekah because she's a basket case right now, I can't burden Henrik with any of it, and I wouldn't dare breath a word of it to Klaus because I don't trust him. It's killing me!"

"Maybe you could tell me?" Matt offered, tightening his hold on the petite blond.

"I couldn't. It's not your burden to bare any longer." She sagged against him, and gave a small hiccup-y laugh, "Perhaps I was wrong about that vodka."

Matt couldn't help but smile, "I think you were too." He lowered his head slightly to rest his chin on the top of her head, and was struck by another memory.

"Tatia! What are you doing, you little nut?" He heard himself say.

The woman laughed, her hands obviously covering his eyes, "Just wait! No peeking!"

He did as he was told, and when she removed her hands, he was greeted with the most beautiful sight in the world. Anika was standing on the edge of the river, wearing a blood red dress that set her pale features alit. "Mathias?" She said in confusion, her eyes landing on her friend, "Tatia, did you force him to come here?"

Tatia shrugged impishly, "Anika, your husband here has no problems coming to see you. I just did a little leading! I'll be in the village!" She called before dashing off.

"She's a menace, that one." He grumbled. Anika laughed, but it seemed forced. "What's wrong? Does Tatia's interference have something to do with the reason you've been avoiding me?"

"I have not been avoiding you!" She hissed, turning to look down at the rushing water.

He slid up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist, "Anika, I'm your husband, let me bare your burdens." His eyebrows furrowed together, "Are you unhappy?"

"No, not at all! I just...All our troubles trying to conceive have brought my father back to mind." She said, looking up at him.

"I won't let your father take you from me just because we can't seem to have children." He growled.

Anika put a calming hand on his cheek, "Not that father, Mathias. My real father."

"Oh." He said calming as he began fingering strands of her pale hair. "What about him?"

"Well, I spent the last full moon wandering through the pack..." She caught the look he was giving her, "What?" She said with a sly grin. "Every time you walk the pack with me, you end up distracting me in the most terrible way."

He grinned, "You've never seemed to mind."

She shrugged, "I found something the other night."

"Do you know who your father is?" He asked gently.

Anika looked concerned, "No, I don't know that yet, but I've got a lead on your father."

"My father? Are you sure, Ani?" He said, aghast.

She nodded slowly, "Without you breathing down my neck, I got to meander a little farther into the pack, to the less hospitable wolves. I met the Alpha's son, Tylë. He might be an impulsive, entitled brat, but he's your brother."

He was snapped back into the present when Anika fainted into his arms. "Anika!" Matt yelled in alarm before he realized she'd just passed out. The weight of her in his arms was a familiar one, and he couldn't help but feel that those little visions were memories. Memories of a life he'd lived. He took Anika to the back and put her in the passenger's seat of the car her sister had bought him.

She looked so fragile, all slumped over drunk in the cab. It made him realize how different she was from her siblings. Anika was more apt to help than hurt. He'd seen that much in school during her attempts to curb Rebekah's bad manners. She never once had forgotten to apologize to the victim of Rebekah's harassment.

Matt locked up the grill, and had gotten into the cab next to her before he realized he had no clue where he should take her. He hadn't gone to Rebekah's disastrous party, and he had no desire to go to Klaus' house without a bunch of his friends to back him up.

Anika was sleeping seemingly peacefully while he drove her to his house. She didn't even stir when he hauled her out of the truck and took her inside. Like he'd done for his sister, he laid Anika on the sofa in his living room, and tucked a warm blanket around her. "Sleep, Anika. We've got a lot to talk about in the morning." He propped back in the worn recliner and was asleep in minuted.

When he woke up the next morning, Anika wasn't on the sofa. She was in the kitchen frying eggs, "Good morning Matt!" She chirped.

He stared at her, "Are you seriously not hung over?"

Anika giggled, "There's a witch's brew for that. Your glass is on the counter."

Matt picked up the glass filled with an oddly shaded orange drink, "Is this going to make me sicker?"

"No, it's just some harmless herbs. I even dressed them up with some orange juice." Anika answered brightly, shaking an egg onto a plate, "Drink and then eat."

"Anika." He said sternly after he downed the mostly orange juice concoction, watching as her whole body tensed.

"Yes, Matt?" Anika stuttered out.

Matt took a deep breath, "We need to talk."

"Can't we forget last night, can we?" She whispered, turning the stove off and taking a step away from it.

Matt put a gentle hand on her shoulder, "No we can't, Triska."

Anika turned around, "I don't want to take you from this life."

"You aren't, Anika." Matt assured her, cupping her face in his hands. "Yeah, it's all a bit much to process though. I seem to be remembering things in spurts. It's enough though." He placed a kiss on her lips, reveling in the gasp she let out, "Enough for me to know how I feel about you. Enough for me to know that we had something really good back then. I need that right now."

Anika looked terrified. "Matt, you could get really hurt."

He laughed, "I'm pretty used to getting hurt. At least you aren't going to eat me when I cut myself."

Her terrified expression shifted to a sly one, "You always enjoyed injury more than I did."

"So I'm a werewolf? And is Tyler really my brother?" He asked over the fried eggs.

Anika chewed a bite thoughtfully, "You're not a werewolf yet, you haven't killed anyone so you're still human, but the gene is still in you. As for Tyler, yes, he's your half brother."

"I've killed before." He said in protest.

"Obviously not a human, or you'd be howling right next to Tyler." Anika said, staring at her hand in his. "I never thought I'd get you back...any of you. It's incredible."

There was a knock on the front door, and Matt brought Anika with him, not letting her hand go. It was Jeremy, "Hey...you guys..., are you coming to the memorial for Mayor Lockwood?"

Matt looked at Anika who gave him a small shrug, "You should be there."

"I'll go get dressed." Matt said, ready to head to his bedroom, but Anika stopped him.

"We'll be late, don't worry about it. I've got you covered." Anika said with a smile.

He looked down, and his clothes had changed. He gave Anika an astonished look, "I thought you couldn't do that sort of stuff."

She laughed, giving his hand a squeeze, "Just another illusion, promise. A little change of pattern and color, that's all."

"Let's go then." He said, and as he helped her hop up into his truck, he kissed the back of her hand, "Thank you, Anika."

Anika smiled broadly, "Anytime, Matt. I'd do anything for you."

* * *

Keep in mind that this chapter ends right at the start of "After School Special" (Which I loved), so there are some big things coming to this story soon!

Please let me know what you think! Any things you'd like for me to change?

-Jenn


	9. Chapter 9

No excuse for the wait, but here it is! I've seen a lot of you add this story to your alerts and favorite it, but I'm not getting too many reviews... If you could just drop me a few words to let me know things I might improve upon or change in the timeline, that would be great!

* * *

They sat through the memorial holding hands, and only Elena seemed to notice, giving a small, encouraging smile. Damon sidled up to them after everything was over, Jeremy close behind, "Hey, Matt. You ready to come help me train Jeremy?"

Matt shrugged, "Sure, I'm not sure how much help I'll be, but it'll have to be better than hanging around here." He said, looking over at all the mourners and Bonnie glaring at her father.

Damon's eyes looked over at Anika, "What about you, Samantha?"

Anika laughed at the nickname, "I'm up for a little travel. As long as we aren't grave digging, I'll be totally fine."

Damon smiled, "I think this trip will be death free."

"Someone has to make bruise salve." Anika said.

"You're expecting me to got beat up?" Matt said, feigning hurt.

Anika laughed, "I'm fully expecting both of you to get equally beat up."

Jeremy peered at her, "Can you see the future?"

Anika looked strangely at him, "Can your girlfriend see the future, cause I sure can't."

Matt and Damon laughed, but Jeremy just looked embarrassed, looking around the room for his sister. "Where's Elena?"

Damon rolled his eyes, "She's a big girl, Jer. You can call her later." He looked at Anika and Matt, "You guys need to go pack?"

Anika nodded, "I need to grab Hen. He'll be of use. You'll like him."

"He's a kid." Damon said skeptically.

Anika grinned at him, "He's a kid who grew up in the Middle Ages. If you were human, I guarantee Henrik could kill you quite handily." A yell drew her eyes to the door, "Speak of the little devil."

Henrik jogged up, reminding Damon of Jeremy when he was younger, all adorable and puppy like, "Ani! Beka brought me here to be with you."

Anika frowned, "Beka's here?" He nodded, "Well that can't be good. Where is she going?"

Henrik gave his sister a droll stare, "Ani, Beka's been taking care of herself for a thousand years. I think she can manage a few days without her big sister."

Anika didn't look convinced, but with Matt back, to some degree she didn't care. "Let's run by Beka's house so we can grab a few things." She told him, looking up at the others, "Are we meeting at Matt's?"

"Sure." Damon drawled.

Anika squeezed Matt's hand and he kissed her. "See you!" She called as she steered her brother towards the exit.

Damon looked Matt up and down, the latter's eyes had been fixed on Anika's retreating figure. He waited until they were packed and waiting on Matt's porch to ask, "So what's up with you and Sabrina?"

Matt grinned, "I remember. Well, not everything, but...Anika and I, we were married a thousand years ago. I was a werewolf." The grin faltered, "I am a werewolf."

"What?" Jeremy and Damon hissed in unison.

"From my dad. Tyler and I are half-brothers. Ani, she's half werewolf like Klaus, but she's a witch, so most of it's neutralized. Like she and I could..." He trailed off, his face turning red.

"What?" Jeremy said, echoing himself.

Matt's face turned even redder and Damon smirked, leading them towards the door, "Jer, I think what Mattie here was about to say is that back in ye old viking days, he and his little lady were kinky."

Matt sighed, "Not like that! Well it usually led to some things I'm pretty game for reenacting, but Anika and I used to heal each other. Something about magic in werewolf saliva. That's actually how we met. She got caught out on a full moon and the rest of the pack attacked her. I healed her."

"And when I woke up the next morning he was in bed with me...naked." Anika said, a mischievous smile on her face as she and Henrik seemed to materialize out of the woods. Anika giggled at the look on their faces. "I had my dress on still, mostly." She said teasingly. "Come on, I should have teased you about that way more than I did."

Matt's face was bright red again, and Damon smiled at Anika, "You know what, I like you!" He looked to Matt, "Can we keep her? She's much nicer than the rest of them."

Matt took her hand, "Well, we were married, and if I recall, our vows contained roughly 'as long as we both shall live'. We're alive, so..."

Anika was staring at him, "You would still honor that? We said those words a thousand years ago, you don't even remember everything yet. You might never."

"I remember enough." Matt said firmly. He looked quizzically at the bow trying to worm it's way out of the bag on her back. "Not how to use that though..." He could briefly remember shooting one, but the details were foggy and had the distinct feel of not coming back.

"I accept, and I'll teach you how to shoot again. The old fashioned way is much more proficient than those nasty little things you all've got there." Anika said, gesturing to the weapons in the trunk bed with a grimace.

"All right, lovebirds. Let's go!" Damon groaned playfully.

Anika and Henrik road in the bed of Matt's truck, and every once and a while, Matt would glance back in the rearview mirror just to make sure she was still there, that she wasn't just another dream. She was there, and she was real. He thought she might be showing Henrik more about the bow she carried, but it actually looked like he was showing her something. "They're fighting over the differences in the bows they have now and the ones they made back in the stone age." Damon offered, noticing Matt's glances.

Matt smiled, "Well what's the verdict?"

"Little Henrik is a traditionalist. He wants to make one of his own, but Anika is quite happy with the manufactured version." He paused, "Now he's asking her about girls." Damon paused again, a grin on his face, "Poor kid, he thinks he can still impress girls with dead woodland creatures."

Jeremy and Matt both burst out laughing with Matt adding, "It worked back then!"

Damon peered at him, "What did you kill to get her to hook up with you?"

Matt thought for a few minutes, "I didn't really kill anything just to impress her. I saved her that night, and built her a house." Those had been the best and worst years of that life, and he was determined not to let history repeat itself.

They arrived at the Gilbert Lake House without any incident and Anika jumped down from the truck unaided, taking a deep breath, "This is much better." She held a hand up to her brother, "Isn't it, Hen?"

He took her hand and landed beside her, "It sure is. I feel like I can breath." He tilted his head, looking at the lake, "Ani, is this...home?"

Anika smiled, "I think it is." She looked to Damon and Jeremy, "This is the lake our village lived off of." She hugged her brother, "We can explore later, but these guys need to get to work!" She looked suddenly at Damon, "Want my help?"

Damon shot her expression back at her, "Let's see what you can do."

Anika's smile turned to an excited grin and she ticked her chin Jeremy's direction, "Come on, Jeremy. Come at me." He hesitated, indecision on his face. She could see his logic, she was female, and for all intensive purposes, a human. He waited too long and she got bored, initiating the fight on her own. She ran at him, and his half hearted self defense wasn't near enough to stop her from snatching him around the neck and landing on the ground. "Dead." She whispered to him, one arm snugly around his neck and the other tight in his hair. She gave a slight squeeze-tug motion to further drive home her words.

She let Jeremy go, and he fell back onto the dirt floor gasping, "Shit, Anika. What are you, a warrior princess?" He gasped.

Anika and Henrik both laughed, and Anika held a hand out to her felled opponent, "Not hardly. I'm a tomboy, that's all. Being half werewolf doesn't hurt." The teasing expression fell from her face, "Jeremy, I'm hardly half as fast as any vampire, and certainly not as strong. Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean you hold back at all. It means you fight harder. Women are more crafty than men. It's your brute strength that you have as an advantage. Use it."

Damon looked at Matt, "You didn't tell me she was a badass."

Matt stared at her, "I haven't really remembered that part yet."

Anika sighed, wiping dirt off the back of her jeans, "You didn't know about the hand to hand fighting. Niklaus helped me. He was worried about me living in the big bad werewolf colony. He figured if you all tried to kill me one full moon I should be able to protect myself even if I was weaponless." She chuckled, "One of his kinder moments, I must say."

"You didn't tell me that." Matt said, surprisingly hurt.

"Of course I didn't. It would have just upset you." She gestured to Jeremy, who was still trying to pull himself together, "Honestly, that move is pretty much as far as we got. Well that and the groin shot, that was first."

"As far as you got?" Jeremy echoed in awe.

"Yeah, before I died." Anika said stiffly before smiling, "I'm teasing, Jeremy." She looked over at Matt, "Would you mind showing me to the restroom?" He nodded and took her hand, leading her towards the house. Absently, Anika laced her fingers through his and looked up at the sky, "Full moon tonight."

"Were we happy?" Matt asked as he'd been dying to since she'd revealed her fighting prowess.

Anika paused in the entry way. "We..." She caught his eyes with her's, recognizing his expression more easily than she should have. She sighed, "Oh, Matt. My learning to fight had nothing to do with how you treated me. All that was was Niklaus being an over protective brother. More to do with the rest of the pack than any fear they had of you hurting me."

"So I never..." He trailed off, unsure of the things he feared he'd done.

Anika glared at him, "Never. Any pain you ever inflicted on me was nothing I didn't ask for and receive with glee. Damon wasn't too wrong to suggest we were kinky. I'd like to think animalistic is a more appropriate term." She chuckled to herself, "It's so strange to think of you not turning tonight." Matt tried to pull away, stung by her words, but Anika's grip was stronger than he'd anticipated and she pulled him back to her. Standing in front of him, Anika reached out and traced one hand along the side of his face, her fingers barely touching his skin, "There's nothing wrong with you not turning. You always saw yourself so differently than I did. I fell in love with the man, not the wolf. I loved them both, but that was because to me, the wolf was the man, just in a different form. You always saw yourself as a monster, and I hated that." She laughed again, "Some things never change, I guess. Back then, you would have given almost anything to be human. You thought you weren't good enough for me, and all this other nonsense that I tried desperately to kiss out of you. Don't mistake my words for being ones of longing. I was terrified most of those nights. It got easier the longer I was there, but for a full year I couldn't sleep on nights there was a full moon because I couldn't stop thinking about what danger you might be in. To not have to worry about that tonight, it's a relief."

She fought back tears and Matt felt guilty for his reaction. Of course that had to have been hard on her. He'd seen enough of how hard it was for Caroline on full moons after she'd locked Tyler up. Why would Anika be any different. "I'm sorry, Triska." He said, pulling her into his arms. She burrowed into his chest, her fingers clinging to his jacket. "I wasn't thinking. Things have been so confusing though. Sometimes I feel like I'm splitting in two with all these memories that don't seem like mine, but I know they are mine. I'm frustrated because I don't remember everything and there seems to be so much that I'm missing. For example, how did I die? The latest thing I remember is your dad coming to inspect the house I built you so we could get married. I've got nothing past that." She had frozen against him so he asked again, "Triska, how did I die?"

"Please don't make me." Anika whispered.

"Tell me." He said firmly, pulling back from her slightly so he could look into her eyes.

"You and your mother fought. You killed each other." She answered, trembling.

While Matt was certainly not going to deny that there was no love lost between him and his mother, he couldn't imagine fighting her to the death. "Why?"

Anika looked close to tears again, "Please Matt. You might not remember, but I do. That night was the day before I killed myself. I don't want to relive it again."

"Okay." Matt said, just because he couldn't bear to see her upset. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push."

"No, it's alright. You need to know eventually but..." She trailed off, looking pained, "I just got you back, and I don't want to be thinking about the night I lost everything." She gave him a small smile, "We've got a lot to work through. I understand that. I'm still not sure about what's going on with my crazy family, and I know Beka and Nik are keeping things from me. One day at a time, right?"

Matt chuckled, remembering those words from the days of their courtship, "You always used to say that."

Anika smiled, "Only when you wouldn't hold my hand."

He took her hand again and pressed a kiss to the back of it, "Well, I'm over that."

Heat flickered into Anika's gaze and she stepped forward, "That's good."

They were pressed flush against each other and Matt gave into the instinct to kiss her, and began to devour her lips, pressing her back into the wall. They paid no notice to the door opening but froze when Damon cursed, "Shit, you two cannot do this all weekend!"

Anika and Matt both looked guilty, but Anika grinned playfully, "Sorry, full moon."

Damon groaned, "Are you gonna come out here and help or are you going to keep sucking face?"

Anika quirked an eyebrow at Matt. "Your choice."

Indecision flickered across Matt's face, "We should probably help."

She nodded, pride evident on her face, "Yeah, we should."

Damon said not so polite things under his breath, "You two are gross."

"You're just jealous." Anika snapped back playfully, exiting the house.

Matt and Damon watched her go, both thinking very different things.

* * *

Hope you liked it!

Review!

-Jenn


	10. Chapter 10

I know, two updates in a week! Thanks to those of you who reviewed! Keep it coming!

* * *

When dinner time rolled around, Damon looked to Anika, "Hey, Glinda, you gonna go fix some food?"

Anika arched a perfectly groomed eyebrow at him, "It's not the middle ages anymore, Damon. Besides, you don't want me cooking. Potions and brews, I'm the master, but cooking..." She made a face, "not my thing. Matt was the cook in our family, and he and Jeremy are a little busy."

The two older boys were currently trying to catch Henrik, and having very little luck. Hen was quick and much more used to having to evade an attack than Jeremy and Matt were. As the youngest, Henrik had been beat up on more than his share of times, and had learned at a young age when to get out of the way. Right now he had climbed up between two trees and was having a ball, laughing like a fool, throwing pinecones down at Matt and Jeremy who were trying to figure out how the hell he got up the tree in the first place.

"I'll order pizza. That's pretty much all we eat when we're here." Damon said grudgingly, peering up at Henrik in the tree, "If he can climb trees like that, how did he get killed by a werewolf?"

Anika gave him a dark look, "They knock the tree over." She ran a hand through the front of her blond hair. "Wolf packs, they're tenacious. The only reason I wasn't killed was because Mathias was aware enough to stop them. When they lock onto prey, they will follow it to the ends of the Earth. "

Damon chuckled, "I know you're new to this millennium, but you do know the Earth is round, right?"

"Fuck off, Damon." Anika snapped, stomping into the house.

Matt looked up to the porch, hearing the whip in Anika's voice, "Ani?" He saw the door slam behind her and found himself stalking up the porch steps and glared at Damon, "What did you say?"

Damon looked unsettled for once, "I was just joking."

Matt rolled his eyes, "You know what, Damon, sometimes I wonder what's wrong with you."

As he went into the house, Damon called, "I'm ordering pizza!"

Anika was standing in front of the fireplace, staring at the flames, "Damon's a jerk. Being rude is pretty much normal for him." Matt said, coming up behind her to wrap his arms around her thin body.

She leaned back into him with a sigh, "So I've gathered. He didn't mean anything by it. I'm just being a sensitive bitch. I've been all over the place today. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. What did he say anyway?" Matt asked gently, relishing in being so close to her. The entire time he and Jeremy had been getting schooled by Henrik, he'd been resisting the urge to drop what he was doing and run to her.

Anika closed her eyes when he skimmed his lips against the side of her neck, but forced herself to answer, "Something about the Earth being round. I'm not even really sure. I was just lost in my own head and it rubbed me the wrong way." Even though she really didn't want to, she pulled away from him, stepping out of the safe circle of his arms, "I should go apologize."

Matt caught her hand as she started towards the door, "Triska, wait." She stopped, looking questioningly at him, "Why do I want to be near you so badly?"

The corner of her mouth quirked up, "Like I said earlier. Full moon tonight. Instincts are heightened even when you aren't turning. I feel the same way. It's why Hen's able to climb the trees like that. Tonight, he's stronger and faster than any human fourteen year old. So are we. It'll take days for us to all stop being so keyed up." She pursed her lips, "You can't tell me you've never felt it before. The pull?"

Come to think of it, he could. It had never occurred to him that his abnormal behavior a few nights out of the month had anything to do with the lunar cycle, but now it seemed obvious. "I always did play my best football on nights near the full moon. Tyler too."

Anika laughed, sliding her hand more firmly into his, "Exactly. Even before the change is instigated, the instinct is there. Not the senses, but everything else, you get just a taste of it. Now can you see why Nik is such a pigheaded idiot? He has the power you're feeling tenfold coupled with how ever the hell it feels to be a vampire. I couldn't dream of all of that. Yeah, I'm a witch, but for the most part, my witchy ways have zero impact on me physically or emotionally." She shivered, "Full moons always leave me a little on edge. It takes a great deal of control to manage magic, and on full moons that control slips a little. Especially around you. The pull is harder to ignore when you're around others." She gestured to the doorway, "Nik got aggressive, Hen becomes half monkey, and I turn into a hormonal mess." She laughed, "I'd forgotten how much that part sucked." Anika tugged on his hand, "Come on. Pizza has got to be here by now. That place wasn't that far down the road."

The pizza girl was there, and Jeremy was falling all over himself while Henrik and Damon watched from the porch with scary similar looks of disdain. Matt pulled out his wallet and walked to his best friend, knowing the Gilbert boy didn't have his money on him. Anika watched them shrewdly, not liking how close the pizza girl was getting to Matt. The instant Jeremy had the pizza in his hands, Anika was off the porch and by Matt's side, pressing against him and shooting the other girl a look that clearly said 'back the fuck off'.

Damon gritted his teeth as the three teenagers returned to the porch and grabbed a slice out of the box, ignoring Jeremy's protest and retreating out of the way of the Mikaelson girl who suddenly resembled her sister a whole hell of a lot more. Anika glared at the pizza girl's truck the entire time she was pulling out of the dirt drive way, and the instant she was out of sight, all the males saw her take a deep breath and then relax completely, looping her arm around Matt's waist and leaning against him as they followed after the pizza.

Henrik, standing next to Damon, looked up at the vampire, "She's scary, isn't she?"

Damon laughed at the boy's expression and nodded, "She's a woman, kid. They are all scary."

Anika glared at them, "Damon, stop messing with his head. Hen, come get some pizza."

The fourteen year old bounded after his sister, leaving Matt and Damon alone on the porch, "She's a mess."

Matt grinned goofily, "It's the full moon."

Dinner was an awkward affair that entailed Matt and Jeremy eating pizza while trying to play video games at the same time. Henrik had tried to play, but he proved to be no match for them and was sulking at his sister's side as she watched every move Matt made with a predatory expression. Once she had finished eating, she slipped out the back door, Matt and Damon's eyes following her.

"I'll stay with her." Damon said, following her out the door. "What's up, Barbie?"

Anika grinned up at him from where she'd sat down on the porch, "Just watching the moon. It's strange not to hear the Pack running around."

"Having some separation anxiety?" Damon said, leaning against the railing next to her.

Anika shook her head, a smile on her face, "Nah, I just need an after meal meditation session. Full moons, they're for working magic you know. Living in the city's been an adjustment. It feels good to be out here."

Damon snorted, "Mystic Falls isn't exactly the most suburban city."

"I know." Anika said with a smile, "But Damon, I lived in the woods. Beka's house, it's huge, like crazy huge. I lived in a one room house. This adjustment is a big one. Being out here is better." She sighed and closed her eyes, "Does the full moon affect vampires?"

Damon looked up at the glowing orb, "No, I can't say it does."

The corner of her mouth quirked up, "That's a good thing. Someone needs to have their head on straight." A raven cawed from the woods, and though Damon was startled by it, Anika laughed, "He says you ate his brother."

"What?" Damon said, staring at the witch like she'd grown an extra head.

Anika opened her eyes and stood, holding out an arm. A black raven swooped in and landed on her proffered limb. She held the bird in Damon's direction, "He says that even though you killed his brother, he likes you." The bird cawed and Anika laughed, "Says you're part raven."

Recollection dawned on Damon's face, "I was in a tight spot and I drained a crow. That was his brother?" He shook his head, "You can talk to animals?"

Anika laughed again, "Not really, most animals can't really understand human speech. Being a witch is about being one with nature, and as a witch, I can understand what they say if I focus. It's like a part of my brain translates for me without letting me in on the finer details. I don't speak raven. He seemed like he had something to say though." She peered at the bird, and stroked a hand down the side of it's face, "What are you doing so far from home, Munin? Asgard is far away for one such as yourself." The bird made a laughing noise in reply.

Damon was giving her that look again, "You two know each other?"

She smiled like he was a stupid small child, "No, Damon. Munin was the name of a raven Odin used to transport his thought and mind. Asgard is what we called our heaven, the country of Valhalla." The bird cawed softly, as to back up her story, "I simply called him Munin because I knew it would make him laugh. Raven's have extraordinary memories, and they, like humans, pass down stories. Just a little joke between new friends."

"You are nothing like any other witch I've ever met." Damon admitted, thinking about all the witches he'd had contact with over his long life.

"Probably not. I'm half werewolf, which is strange, and I'm from a time when the magic was accepted. I was taught from birth the ways of being a witch. Ayana taught me everything she knew. I've heard Jeremy talk about spell books, but in my time, there were none. Everything a witch knew came from those before, and everything had to be put to memory. Your Bonnie is woefully untried. The more I think about it, the more I'm certain she needs a guide." The bird squawked. "Would you?" Anika asked, receiving another bird noise that to Damon sounded rude. It wasn't though, because Anika smiled and popped the bird into the air, "He's going to go check on her. He chastised me, said I should be looking after the young better. He's very disappointed in me. Also, he wants to chat with you once he returns."

Damon sighed, watching her sit down, "Why does the bird want to talk to me?"

Anika shrugged, "I don't know. He didn't say. He does like you though. It's a great honor to be favored by a raven." She could hear his why before he even said it. "Ravens are very loyal, Damon. That bird will do anything you ask him to."

"So I have a pet raven now?" Damon asked her, trying to wrap his head around everything.

Anika's nose wrinkled, "No, and don't let him hear you say that if you don't want to get bit. Just because he's your familiar, doesn't mean he won't have a temper towards you. I remember on more than one occasion Ayana being bitten by her sparrow because she'd insulted her. It's a great honor to be chosen to have a familiar." She smiled slyly at him, "I see what Elena sees though, and you are honorable."

"I'm not honorable. I'm lusting after my brother's girl. What's worse is she might only be feeling the things she's feeling because I want her to." Damon growled.

"Damon, back in my day, the girl was a free agent until someone put a ring on her hand. Don't push her away. Besides, Elena is more like Tatia than she'd like to think. I don't think those feelings are entirely fabricated." Anika advised him.

"So you and Matt." Damon said, wanting to vacate the Elena subject. He had enough pressure from everyone else. He was just glad that Elena hadn't come back to the lake house with them.

"Yeah." Anika said softly, "We're mates, you know. That's why he didn't kill me that first night." She groaned, taking in a deep breath of night air, "When I woke up and found out he was here, it took everything in me not to run to him, but I didn't want to hurt him. Now...he's confused, I'm confused, and those are just our issues. This cure thing has my head spinning. And that damned April girl..." She snapped her teeth together and made a hissing nose, "It's so like him to want to help her, but he's predictably bad about letting others in on his plan."

Damon peered at her, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about the sire bond, would you?"

Anika frowned at him, "Beka was yammering on about something like that... I could look into it, but Damon, vampires, they came after I did. I mean, besides this Silas tool, but I never heard of him." She bit her lower lip, "Actually, let me see..." She stood up in a move faster than any a full human could make and bounded off the porch with a childlike grace. She was humming to herself and looking at plants when Damon managed to pull himself together to catch up with her. She snatched a flower out of the ground with a triumphant cry, "Got it! Deerstongue." Anika held it out to him, "Keep this in your pocket once we get back to Mystic Falls. Also..." She spun away again, searching the underbrush, "Sage." She said, coming back to him with her hand out stretched. She took the deerstongue back and twined the two stems together. "That should work better. I'll see about coming up with a charm, but for now, Elena shouldn't be getting any supernatural feelings off you."

"Why are you helping me?" Damon scoffed, but pocketed the herbs anyway.

Anika smiled pleasantly, obviously in her element, roughing around in the forest, "Damon, I'm a witch. We are meant to live our lives in service of others. I did a terribly selfish thing, taking my own life, but I intend to make up for it." She looped her arm through his as they walked back to the house, "Besides, you could use a friend."

"Don't remind me." Damon grumbled.

Henrik was sitting on the porch when they got back, and Anika pulled away, "Hen, what's wrong?"

Henrik pointed to where Klaus was standing, his foot on Matt's chest as he flung Jeremy away. "Niklaus!" Anika yelled.

He looked over at them lazily, "Oh, sister. There you are. I was just helping Jeremy out. He needed some incentive." He punctuated his words by pressing his foot harder into Matt's chest, causing the boy to grunt in pain.

"Niklaus, get off of him right now." Anika said through clenched teeth, trying not to lose control and kill someone.

Klaus seemed to understand that it was in his best interest to listen to his sister and moved his foot off Matt. Anika was at Matt's side in an instant, glaring up at her brother, "Matt, are you okay?"

He coughed slightly, "Yeah, fine." Anika took his right hand in her own once she saw the cuts across his knuckles. Staring into his eyes, she drew her tongue gently along the wounds, and smiled in satisfaction when they closed. Matt hissed at the sudden tightness in his pants.

Anika grinned knowingly, "I told you you liked that." She helped him stand and glared at her brother, "Why are you really here, Nik?"

"They are here to grow Jeremy's mark." He said stiffly, "The real question is, what are you and Henrik doing here?"

Anika rolled her eyes, "Whatever we damn well please, Niklaus. We don't need your permission to go anywhere. You don't own us. Besides, I figured Hen and I could teach Jeremy a few things."

"Let's see it then." Klaus said crisply. "Because I need that mark done sooner than later."

* * *

Had to bring the raven back, for those of you that had forgotten the creepy fellow from season one. No, Anika isn't going to turn into a crazy person and talk to every animal she comes across...she's got too many siblings and hot dudes to worry about as well as just trying to survive being a supercharged teenager.

So I took things in this chapter a little farther in regards to more intimate scenes, and just wanted to know if anyone had a problem with that. At the beginning of this story, an 'M' rating wasn't really needed, but I'm getting the feeling more and more that there needs to be some more skin! Let me know what you think!

-Jenn


	11. Chapter 11

Happy April Fools! Hope no one is getting tricked too badly today! This chapter and the first half of the next one will kick out Catch Me If You Can 4X11, and then I plan on picking up the pace a little. And can I just say there's been a shortage of Matt in these last episodes! Not liking it! The whole Katherine/Elijah thing from last week was pretty interesting though, I'll give them that.

Enjoy and Review!

-Jenn

* * *

Anika had managed to get rid of Klaus, but when the sun was falling the next day, the pizza girl showed back up, much less human than before. Upon seeing the new vampire, Matt had shoved Anika and Henrik into the house, knowing that they would be safe. They watched from the window as the pizza girl was dispatched easily. Anika held her hands over Henrik's eyes of course, but that didn't stop him from hearing the girl's screams.

Not that as a viking boy, screams were something Henrik was unaccustomed to, but Anika's instinct was still to protect him. She was seething by the time Damon had taken the body out of sight. "I'm going to kill him!" She growled

Damon smirked at her, "Now, now, Princess, that would be too easy. He makes it his life goal to be hard to kill."

She sighed, "Come on out, Nik. I know you're here just waiting to see what your little stunt stirred up." He wasn't there though, and somehow, that made Anika madder. The look on Damon's face when he meandered back into the house with his phone in his hand quelled that anger though, "Who called?"

Damon smiled dazedly, "Elena."

He had four pairs of eyes on him in an instant, "What did she say?"

"Some bullshit about Rebekah in the school. No one died though, so on the grand scheme, that's not a big deal. She loves me." He seemed like he was on a cloud.

Anika smiled, "Well I'm glad no one's dead, but what exactly did my sister do?"

When Damon grudgingly began to participate in reality, Anika was furious. "The both of them! Ugh! Is Tyler okay?" She could only imagine how the young werewolf was taking any of what had been forced upon him in the last months.

"Caroline's with him, so I'm sure he'll be just peachy." Damon drawled.

"Bless that girl." Anika whispered under her breath.

Jeremy's phone beeped from his pocket. "Klaus wants us to meet him at the bar."

"Us?" Anika asked.

"Me, Damon, and Matt." Jeremy said.

Anika pulled a face, "I don't like it."

Matt pulled her to his side, kissing her temple, "Ani, we've dealt with him before, and it's a public place." She was still frowning, and he sighed, "Anika, right now, we're on the same side. He wants Jeremy to grow his mark, and so do we."

Against Anika's vehement protests, they left just after the sun went down, leaving Anika to pace the front room and Henrik in charge of the Xbox. She flew at the door when the bell rang, fumbling with the lock before swinging it open. "Elena!" She said, trying not to show her disappointment.

The other girl smiled, tugging on the sleeve of her shirt. "Hey, Anika. I was just uh... Where's Damon?"

Anika sighed, "The boys went to meet my brother at the bar in town." Elena's face looked just as impressed as Anika was, "Yeah, I'm not thrilled either. They left..."

"Six minutes ago!" Henrik supplied from the living room.

Anika grimaced, "It's been a long six minutes." She stepped aside, "Want to keep me company? Hen's enraptured with your brother's video games, and I'm pacing a hole through the floor."

"Sounds like fun." Elena shrugged, an amused smile on her face as she walked with Anika into the living room.

"Hi Elena!" Henrik called, waving with one hand.

"Hey, Hen." Elena said with a laugh, smiling at Anika, "Jeremy's the same way when he's playing his games. I think it's like a sort of mind control."

Anika laughed, "Mind control... funny you should..." Her head ticked to the side, the smile falling from her face. "Something's wrong."

"Ani, you're overreacting." Henrik said, sparing a glance back at her.

She shook her head, grabbing Elena's hand, "No, I'm not. Matt's in trouble." She looked at the other girl, "We need to find them. Hen, stay in the house. Don't let anyone in the house unless Matt or I are with them. We can't be compelled."

He didn't protest, and Elena was surprised when he grabbed one of the antique swords from the wall. "I've got it, Anika. Go."

When Anika grabbed her bow and full quiver from the bed of Matt's truck as they rushed past, she noticed Elena's still shocked expression, "We're Vikings, Elena. Always ready for battle." The two women headed into the woods, Elena following Anika closely until she could hear what was going on. She was about to warn Anika about the fighting when a new vampire emerged from behind one of the many trees. She'd hardly seen it before Anika had put an arrow through it's heart. The vampire desiccated instantly.

"Wood?" Elena asked.

Anika grinned, "I've kept up with the times, Elena. Let's find the boys and kick some ass."

Elena laughed, "I really do like you."

Anika took out another vampire, her movements quick and precise, obviously the result of many years of practice. "Same to you!" They split up, Anika cutting a swath towards Matt and Elena heading to where she could hear Damon fighting.

Matt was on the ground, Jeremy struggling with a nearby vampire while another approached his friend. Matt was desperately looking for anything to use as a weapon when an arrow bloomed out of the vampire's chest and it fell to the forest floor, revealing Anika standing a few yards behind it. "Ani." Matt whispered, the stance she was holding stirring up memories.

"Matt, run!" Jeremy yelled, not noticing that Anika had arrived. He staked his opponent and looked up just in time to see a young vampire wrap it's arms around Anika, pinning her arms to her side. She looked startled for half a second before the vampire started screaming in pain, releasing her.

It was the first real magic any of them had seen Anika perform, and her face was hard as she forced the vampire to the ground and staked him with a wooden arrow. She stared down at the dead creature, shaking slightly, her face waxy from exertion. Matt took her free hand, "You always hated using your magic like that."

She jerked the arrow out, sliding it back into the quiver on her back, "I hate killing, but it's harder when you do it with your hands." Anika said softly, wiping the trace amounts of blood from her hand. "We should get back to the house."

The boys nodded and the three took off running, Anika not once letting go of Matt's hand. Henrik could see them approach from the window of the cabin, as well as the half dozen vampires chasing them. Against his sister's instructions, he stepped out of the house, the pommel of the sword feeling like a long lost friend, "Inside!" He yelled to Anika, brandishing the blade he hoped was solidly made. The three rushed around him, but before Anika could grab Henrik, he was launching into action at the one vampire who had kept coming. Like his sister, the movements were practiced, and the confused male vampire had scarcely registered Henrik as a real threat before the boy was holding his dismembered head by the hair. Henrik stared at it in awe, turning around to show her his prize like a small child, "Ani! Look! I did it!"

Anika groaned past her nausea and grabbed Henrik's arm, "Get inside and leave the head!" Henrik did as he was told, reluctantly dropping his prize and letting his sister jerk him into the building. "What the hell were you thinking?" Anika started the instant the door shut.

Henrik didn't look abashed at all, "I've always wanted to do that!"

Anika looked like she wanted to hug him and shake him to death all at the same time, "I knew seeing Papa kill that raider wasn't good for you!"

Henrik laughed, "Whatever, Ani." He turned his attention to the two half hyperventilating boys, "So why were those vampires chasing you?"

"Your brother set them on Matt to get me to grow my mark." Jeremy explained, watching out the window for his sister.

Anika was taking care of Matt's injuries just before dawn when Jeremy swung the door open to let his sister and Damon run in. Damon glared at Anika, "Remind me next time you say you want to kill your brother to help whole-heartedly."

"Got it." Anika said, livid at her brother. "What are we going to do about the groupies?"

Damon shrugged, "They'll be gone when the sun rises. The smart ones will run back to the bar. So who beheaded that unfortunate guy?"

Anika rolled her eyes, "Henrik."

Damon grinned evilly, "Nice one, little man!"

Henrik chortled, "At least someone appreciates my valor."

The corner of Anika's mouth quirked up, "You can take the boy out of the Viking age, but you can't take the Viking Age out of the boy, I suppose." She said wryly, curling up against Matt on the sofa.

Elena laughed, "You beheaded a vampire with that old sword?"

Henrik nodded enthusiastically, "Right when I was swinging I was like, 'Oh man, I hope this thing is real', but I didn't need to worry. It's the real deal! Someone sharpened it before they hung it up there too."

Elena looked at the sword, cleaned and replaced back in it's wall pegs, "Good to know the previous Gilbert's liked to keep armed."

"You've got a warrior's spirit, Elena. You're Tatia's descendent, and she was the bravest person I've ever known." Anika said softly.

Henrik nodded, "Tatia was brave, and pretty too. Nik and Elijah would fight over who got to hold her hand." He laughed, "I was usually the one holding her hand though." He grinned at Elena, "Tatia thought I was cute."

Anika laughed, "Hen, you were practically her kid brother too."

He pouted, but went over to Jeremy, trying to rouse the ill-tempered teenager into another game on the TV. Elena sat on the sofa next to Anika, glancing over at their brothers, "Does he ever stop?"

"Not really. That's part of his charm." Anika said, smiling fondly at him. "Tatia really did care a great deal for him. Her own brother was born the same year as Henrik. Their mother died birthing him, and their father took off on battles rather than staying in a wifeless house for too long, so Tatia took to the task of raising him as her own. She did well for him in their mother's absence, but he died before he was five years old. She sort of looked to Hen for the type of boy he would have been, and for the boy she wanted her son Ambi to be. She may have been shrewd and overly friendly to men, but Tatia was bold and very, very stubborn." Anika sighed, peering at Elena, "You're a lot more like her than you think. We each have moments in our lives that define us. Loss defined Tatia for so long, but then Ambi came, and her whole life seemed to fold out in front of her. She'd have chosen one of my brothers for a husband, for a father for Ambi."

"Which one?" Elena asked, glancing over at Damon.

Anika shrugged, feeling Matt drift off, his chin pressing harder into her shoulder and his breath steadying against her skin, "I'm not sure. I was their sister. She wouldn't tell me out of fear of my opinion. She'd list off all the things she liked about each one, but she'd never lean towards one or the other in my presence."

Elena was desperate to know more about her ancestor. For so long, she'd been convinced that Tatia had been just like Katherine, and that that meant she would too, "What sort of things would she say?"

Anika bit her lip, thinking back to one of the last conversations she'd had with her best friend, "She liked Elijah's steadiness, his gentleness with her and Ambi, but at the same time, she was fascinated by Niklaus' passion, strength, and his fierce protective nature. We talked not two days before I died, and I think she'd chosen." Anika scoffed, "Looks like I ruined that too. With me and Henrik dead, she wouldn't have gone to either of them speaking of marriage. By the time custom would have deemed it appropriate, she'd be dead at the hand of my father."

"Who told you that fun fact?" Damon asked, not liking Elena's line of questioning.

"Beka did. I know my father didn't approve of the way Tatia flaunted herself, but I still can't fathom why he chose her." Anika took in a staggering breath, trying to control herself, "I don't understand half of what my bloody family has done. Tatia would have fought back, others would have been too scared to go against an instruction by my father."

Elena felt like she understood where Anika's thoughts were going, "It sounds like Tatia would have gone to protect her son though."

Anika winced, "Yes, Elena. She would have died to protect that boy. Above all, Tatia treasured Ambi. He was the light of her life. Tatia was probably my mother's selection. After all, how could a motherless whore keep her child healthy and safe when my mother failed thrice. I see the logic. I don't like it, but I see it."

"Thrice?" Damon asked.

Anika nodded, "Before my parents came to North America, they had another son. He died in the plague, Aarin. None of the rudimentary magic my mother knew could save him. She called to the spirits for help, but by the time Ayana had made the journey, he was dead. She brought my parents here for a better life. I think they had one too, for a little while, until my mother started sleeping around."

Damon snorted, "Yeah, that sort of thing always screws life up."

"Pretty much." Anika whispered, running her fingers through the front of Matt's hair.

Damon stared at them, "You really love him, don't you?"

She smiled, "I'd love him if he was green and three feet tall. It's part of the wolf thing, knowing who's meant for you. If you let it, the wolf will lead you to everything you've ever wanted. Tyler fights it, and it's making him all the more miserable for his efforts."

"You could tell that just by seeing him across the room at his mother's memorial?" Elena asked.

"It's obvious if you know what to look for. He kept rubbing his hands together like his fingers ached, and they probably do. His body is trying to do one thing, but his mind is still resolutely human and he's tearing himself apart." Anika explained, remembering the one night Mathias had tried to stave off the change to stay by her side after the loss of their first child. Seeing the pain on his face and the sweat on his brow only made her feel worse, and she'd ordered him out.

"You're terrible with a sword." Matt mumbled against her skin, causing the three non-electronics engaged adults to laugh.

Anika stroked the top of his head, a broad smile on her face, "He's right. Swords were never my friend. I don't have the strength for it."

Damon glanced out the window, "The children are figuring out that the sun hurts."

Anika and Elena made similar faces of disgust. Henrik however, ran to the window, "Cool!"

Elena gave Anika a sympathetic look, but the witch just sighed, turning slightly more towards Matt, "Love, it's time to wake up." His grip around her tightened, but he didn't wake. Anika kissed his forehead, adoring the innocence he gained when asleep. "Matt, wake up." She said softly in his ear, laughing when he opened one blue eye to glare at her.

"Anika." He growled.

She laughed, pulling herself out of his arms and standing up, holding out a hand to him, "Come on, the sun's almost up."

Grudgingly, he stood, linking his fingers with hers, letting her lead him to the window so they could watch the vampires flee. "Who's gonna go after them?" Matt asked.

"Me and Jeremy should be able to handle them." Damon said, and Elena's neck practically snapped when she popped her head to him.

"You are not taking my brother back to that bar." Elena said, her face serious.

Damon made a face, "Come on, Elena. They've already been turned, we can't just leave them to their own devices, and the kid could use some numbers for that tattoo of his."

"No." Elena said, putting her foot down literally and verbally.

Damon looked shocked, and Anika didn't fail to notice the look he shot her. Anika sidled up to Elena, putting a hand on the other girl's shoulder, "Elena, what Damon's saying makes sense. I know you didn't want Jeremy's mark to grow like this, but my brother created that herd already, and unless we go do something about it, they'll start killing people." Elena mulled it over for a few minutes, pointedly ignoring Jeremy's pleading look.

Once she gave her consent, the two eager men were gone, and Matt was glaring at Elena, "You wouldn't have agreed if you weren't sired to Damon." Anika excused herself, dragging Henrik with her, not wanting to get between Matt and his friend. They wouldn't hurt each other, but Elena needed to know where her friends stood. Henrik moped over his charred prize and Anika looked up at the Raven circling in the sky.

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Once again, any and all suggestions for future scenes in this story will be considered gratefully! Just let me know!

-Jenn


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry for the dreadfully long wait! I was suffering through some writers block!

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Elena and Matt didn't have long to stew before Jeremy came running back to the house. Anika caught him before he hit the ground, panting and shaking. "What happened?" Elena asked, at their side in a second.

Jeremy couldn't calm himself enough to speak so Anika pressed a hand against the shoulder he was coddling, easing his pain enough so he could spit out, "Kol killed all the new vampires in the bar. He doesn't want us to find the Cure. He nearly ripped my arm off. Damon got me free and held him off."

Anika took his momentary pause to pop his shoulder back into place, the harsh noise launching Elena into action, "We have to stop him. Klaus will be able to call him off, right?" Anika nodded, "Then let's go."

They piled into Matt's truck, Henrik sitting in Anika's lap, asking her what was wrong with their brother's, "I don't know, Hen. We missed a lot of their lives. In reality, we are only a small part of who they've ended up being."

Anika and Henrik stayed with Matt in the car while Elena negotiated with Klaus. Klaus called Kol off, and they went to the Grill, Elena texting Damon the entire time. Matt led Anika to a booth where they could be alone for a little, but she could still keep an eye on Henrik. After seeing the boy behead a vampire, Matt wasn't sure he should ever be left to his own devices.

"How's your leg?" Anika asked, burrowing into his side.

Matt kissed the top of her head, "Just fine. You hungry?"

"No, not really. Killing tends to make me lose my appetite." She muttered, "Sorry, that was crass. I just wish we had the chance to get to know each other again without my siblings making our lives hell."

"We're going back to the house." Elena said, gesturing to Jeremy.

Matt waved bye to them and nuzzled Anika's neck, "Where should we go?"

Anika giggled, kissing him, "I'm not sure, where do you think we should go?"

Their conversation was circumvented when Elena screamed. They had hardly registered her shout before Jeremy was bolting to the back of the bar and Elena was struggling with Damon, keeping her thin body between her lover and her brother. As soon as Jeremy was out of sight, Damon eased his struggle, managing to tell Elena that he'd been compelled by Kol to kill Jeremy. He broke away after that, following Jeremy into what Matt said were the tunnels under the city. Matt started to follow, but Anika grabbed his wrist, "Don't. Fighting new vampires is one thing, but fighting a vampire as old as Damon that you're only trying to stop, not kill, is not a good idea. Especially since we don't have our weapons." He agreed with her, and they waited, relieved when Stefan rushed into the caves past them.

Matt and Anika helped Elena and Jeremy back to the Gilbert house after Stefan refused to let Elena see Damon in the Salvatore basement, and then Anika left with Henrik to go back to Rebekah's for the night. When she saw Stefan running into the house, however, she sighed and held Henrik's hand, "We are so not going there tonight."

Henrik didn't protest too much, and insisted that they go back to the Salvatore House to spend time with Damon. Against her better judgment, Anika agreed, and they entered the house at sun down. "Oh, visitors!" Damon snapped irritably.

"Be nice, Damon. Hen wanted to come hang out with you." Anika warned.

Damon grinned at her through the bars, "You wouldn't happen to want to let me out, would you?"

Anika winced comically, "So sorry, Damon, but I don't have a key."

He gave up on her at the steadfast look in her eyes, and proceeded to share stories with Henrik. Anika curled up in the armchair and when she woke, the sun was up again. Damon heard the change in her breathing, "Hope the kid's not allergic to hay, 'cause he's sleeping in some."

Anika chuckled, stretching, "No, he's not." She walked back to the door and handed him a vial of blood, "Enjoy your breakfast, Damon."

He chugged the blood and asked her, "Stefan wouldn't let Elena down here because of the sire bond, would he?" Anika nodded in confirmation, "Those herbs you gave me, they work, don't they?"

She sighed, "Damon, they should, in theory, but witchcraft of any kind isn't an exact science. I'm fairly confident, but we didn't have a chance for you to test it innocently. Now, if it doesn't work, you'll go after Jeremy. I'm sorry."

He sighed too, looking straight at her, "It's not your fault, Pixie, it's your brother's fault."

Anika nodded, "I'm still sorry. You don't deserve this."

He shrugged, "Meh, I don't deserve a lot of the things that get dumped on me, but then again, I do a lot of dumping on other people."

Anika laughed, "I think that's your own type of magic, Damon, and there's just very few that understand it."

Henrik growled in his sleep and Damon scoffed, "That kid is scary. Nice, but scary. He's the most battle ready fourteen year old I've ever met, but he's protective about it, not malicious. It's strange."

Anika grinned at her youngest brother, running a hand through his dark hair, "Hen's the best of all of us, I'd like to think." Henrik's eyes blinked open, "You must have known we were talking about you." Anika teased.

Henrik yawned, "You always are."

Anika continued to deny his claim until Klaus and Stefan showed up, "Sister!" Klaus greeted, smiling maliciously.

"Hello, Klaus. Are you here to try to kill more people?" Anika quipped, hauling Henrik to his feet.

The smile on Klaus' face faltered, "Come now, Ani. I was just trying to help move things along. Everyone's fine."

"Bad move, Nik." Henrik said, watching their sister's jaw clench.

"I cannot speak with you today." Anika determined, pulling Henrik past the men calling back, "Try again tomorrow, Nik!"

She took Henrik out for breakfast, reminding herself to grab more cash out of the account Rebekah had set up for her. For the first day since their resurrection, Henrik and Anika just wandered around town, Anika texting Matt off and on with the cellphone Rebekah had purchased for her. It was just after noon when Anika felt things shift in the air. "Something's up." She said to herself, noting the Raven circling in the sky again. "Bonnie!" She realized with a start, and tugged Henrik to the police station, hoping someone would know where Bonnie lived.

Caroline's mother was a very suspicious woman, Anika decided, as she explained for the fifth time that she was the Mikaelson's sister, a witch, who had brought herself back to life with their younger brother. Liz had not been impressed, and was just about ready to pitch them out of her office when Henrik started talking. Liz liked him a lot more than she liked Anika, and in minutes, he had Bonnie's address on a piece of paper in his hot little hands.

"How did you do that?" Anika asked incredulously.

Henrik grinned, "Elijah's not the only one with fabulous interpersonal skills."

She glared at him and took the paper, "Well, you go back and hang with Sheriff Forbes, okay? I'm on witch business now."

She arrived at the Bennett house right as Bonnie's mother proceeded to drug her. Anika broke the door off it's hinges, "Take your hands off her right now."

"Who are you?" Rudy yelled.

Anika held out a hand to Bonnie. "I'm a fellow witch. Bonnie, I'm here to help you. You don't need that man."

"Who are you?" Bonnie said, echoing her father.

Anika smiled slightly, "My name is Anika, and your ancestor Ayana was my teacher. You've heard of her, yes?"

Bonnie nodded, "She was the one who helped Esther create the vampires."

"Yes, she was, and she was like a second mother to me." Anika said.

"Anika...you're Rebekah and Klaus' sister!" Bonnie exclaimed, stepping back.

Anika held out her hands to soothe the other witch, "Yes, but I'm here talking to you as a witch, not their sister. I've been meaning to have this conversation with you for weeks, but as usual, I've been overwhelmingly self centered. I'll help you, Bonnie. I know better than any witch in this time what is happening to you."

"You can help me control this?" Bonnie said, voice trembling.

"I can help you get rid of that man's influence. Rule one of being a witch, Bonnie, never entrust your magical course with someone who is not a witch themselves. I don't blame you for no knowing that, I blame your terribly insufficient education." Anika said firmly, willing the door back onto it's appropriate place, the bolts sliding home with a resounding thud.

"I've never heard of you." Abby said defensively, reaching out and grabbing Bonnie's arm. She jerked her hand away an instant later, hissing in pain.

"Don't hurt her!" Bonnie yelled.

Anika crossed her arms, "I'm not. It's simply an illusion to encourage your mother to think before she acts." She ended the spell, "Abby, you've never heard of me because I killed myself a thousand years ago, before my family became vampires. I brought myself back from the dead."

"How?" Bonnie asked.

Anika bit her lip, "I really have no idea. I only meant the spell to give Henrik a new life in a different time. I woke up the same day he did though." She winced, "Not all magic makes sense. I used a spell I didn't fully understand, one I ripped from Ayana's mind with a touch, and it didn't work as she'd thought it would. I was supposed to die so Henrik could live. That's not what happened though. Magic is unpredictable after a point. What doesn't come instinctually has no rules. Magic doesn't answer to us, Bonnie. We are simply servants of fate, of nature. For some reason, I'm meant to live now, here, in this time. I'd like to think it's so I can use my knowledge to help you." She laughed at herself, "I might be here to corral my wayward siblings, but for today, I'd like to start with the easier task."

"Easier?" Bonnie said, motioning for Anika to sit on the sofa.

Anika laughed, "You've met my siblings, haven't you? They've become terrors in the last thousand years. Compared to them, helping a fellow witch find her way back to real magic should be easy. No less time consuming, but easier. Something I'm familiar with at least. I hadn't lived at home for almost a year before I died, those two rarely remind me of the Nik and Beka I grew up with. Beka more so than Nik, but I've come to realize he took our mother's infidelity rather harshly."

Bonnie pulled a face, "That's kind of a jarring moment in a person's life."

"I know." Anika said softly, "Rebekah's my half sister. Niklaus and Henrik are my full brothers. I'm half werewolf. I found out when I was fifteen. Beka and I were walking when I left her on the trail for a few minutes. When I got back, there was a man trying to rape her. I killed him, and my mother stood guard over me the whole next full moon. She told me the truth when I didn't turn." She held out a hand to Bonnie again, "Enough about me and my deplorable family. I want to remind you of something."

Bonnie took her hand cautiously and felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. "What?"

Anika smiled gently, vaguely aware that Bonnie's parents had set down across from them. "That's magic, Bonnie. Is it how you remember it from before?"

Tears filled Bonnie's eyes, "Yes."

"Good." Anika said, pleased with her reaction, "That was step one, making you want it. Because you do, Bonnie. You have to want that connection back. Think about it. I need to go get Henrik back from Ms. Forbes before he charms her into deputizing him."

"Caroline's mom is watching your little brother?" Bonnie said slowly, remembering all the times the woman would adamantly refuse to have Caroline's friends over if she had to watch them.

"Yeah, that's why I'm worried. She's bought onto his charm. Fortunately, he lacks the malicious bone Nik is so fond of exercising these days. Worse Hen'll do is give her a headache from his constant noise that will be easily remedied by some Advil." She looked thoughtful, "I should probably go."

At the door, Anika paused, fixing Abby and Rudy with her most withering glare, "If I find out either of you lay a hand on your daughter again, I'll kill you both. As long as she keeps working with me, she'll be just fine. Your idea of fixing her is bound to get her killed. Neither of you are witches, so stay out of Bonnie's witch business. Perhaps then you can pull your heads out of your asses and be her parents for once in your lives."

She left all three Bennet's to stare at the door, and hardly noticed when Jeremy ran past her. She'd picked Henrik up from the Sheriff's station and they're halfway back to Matt's when she felt it. The loss. Clutching Henrik's hand, they walked to Elena's house where Niklaus was standing in the doorway yelling. Kol was dead. They hadn't gotten to see him yet, and now he was gone. Bonnie was in the house, locking Niklaus into a room because he was ready to kill Jeremy Gilbert. Anika felt dazed when she entered the house, and Bonnie and the Gilbert's looked ready to fight her.

"Kol?" He's laying towards the kitchen, and Anika and Henrik walk straight past Niklaus.

"Anika! Stop!" Niklaus yelled, "You don't need to see that."

She wanted to smile, glad he still cared about her, but her heart broke when she saw Kol laying on the wood floor. He'd been charred beyond recognition. It's Henrik that stopped her from touching him, "Ani."

They jerked together and the sobs were overwhelming. Henrik curled up against her like he's six years younger and they cried. Anika knew that they should stop, that Henrik would probably get sick from the tears. She couldn't though. Neither could he. They aren't just crying for Kol, they're crying for Finn as well. It felt like it was hours later when Anika pulled herself together, looking up at Klaus and being shocked to see tears welling in his eyes. He blinked them away. "Go home, Anika."

She shook her head, "No, I won't leave him like this." She locks eyes with Nik, trying to relay her plan to him. He yelled in protest when she pressed two fingers to Kol's temple. He un-charred, the black receding from her touch, leaving him desiccated, but not burned. When he was whole at last, she kissed his cheek, "Sleep, brother." She stood, turning her gaze to Jeremy, "Self-defense, you say? Show me."

"Anika." Nik growled in warning.

"Shut up, Nik." Anika snapped, holding her hand out, palm facing up, to Jeremy, "Show me. If you're telling the truth, you should have nothing to fear." He hesitated a second too long, "Jeremy Gilbert, do as you're told. Now, I am judge, jury, and executioner."

He looked hesitant, but Bonnie touched his arm, "Jeremy, I trust her."

He took Anika's hand, and she saw it all. She saw the struggle, and that Jeremy really had no other choice. "Thank you." She said softly, patting his hand absently. "If you would be so kind as to make sure Kol is returned to Niklaus' home?"

Jeremy nodded, "Sure, whatever you want."

Anika squeezed his hand once before letting it go. He had a good heart. "Just treat him kindly and I will hold no ill-will to you or Elena for this."

"Anika! What are you saying!?" Klaus yelled from his new room.

She walked towards him, standing just on the other side of the barrier, "Nik, haven't you gotten tired of a life based on revenge? Doesn't it get old after a while?"

He sneered, "He killed our brother."

"And our brother was trying to kill him in his own home. Kol's as much to blame as Jeremy is." Anika replied, "I'm going to leave you here, Niklaus. Maybe you'll have some time to think about things."

He stared at her, aghast, "Are you putting me in time-out?"

She gave a tiny grin, "Yes, Nik, I guess I am. Although to be fair, Bonnie's the one who locked you in here. I'm just not letting you out." She turned back to their younger brother, "Come on, Hen. I think we could both use some rest. Nik, we'll be using your house for the night. I'd like to spend some time with Kol."

His eyes widened, finally catching onto what she was telling him, "Very well, Ani."

Anika had tucked Henrik into a fitful sleep before she went to the basement. Jeremy had brought Kol by an hour before. She sat beside him, nonplussed by his eerie stillness and ran her fingers through his dark hair. Although he was older than she was by nine months, they'd always acted like she was older. "I failed you." She said softly, drawing a sheet over his corpse before turning to the other table where her fabric satchel rested.

Opening it carefully, she let the Hunter's bone roll out. By un-burning Kol's body, Anika had learned a great deal. She sat on a stool and stared at the bone. By the time the sun had risen, what had been one bone was now two hundred and six. The skeleton of Alexander the vampire hunter had been reformed. It was a start to the impossible goal Niklaus had set forth for her, and she could only hope that it was a goal that remained a secret between them.

Matt would never allow her to do it, and Anika wasn't sure she had the heart to go against him. The raven watched her mournfully through a window.

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Let me know what you think!

-Jenn

P.S. Thoughts on the whole Klaus baby daddy thing from last weeks episode?


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